News Archive - 2011

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City adopts new impact fee system
Bonner County Daily Bee, ID – December 31, 2011
Individuals with aspirations for a new local home will soon have a fresh set of impact fees to pay. After some final tweaks, council members approved a new impact fee system developed by nationally recognized authorities at TischlerBise. The new fee structure, approved on Thursday, will go …

Pasco’s mobility fee will chart new course for county’s growth
Tampa Bay Times, FL – December 30, 2011
As Florida begins an overhaul of its growth management policies, Pasco became one of a handful of communities this year on the cutting edge of developing a new tool to combat urban sprawl. You read that right. Pasco. Cutting edge. Combatting sprawl. Same sentence. How in the world …

Committee wants to halt development impact fees
Seacoastonline.com, NH – December 30, 2011
After an initial review of the town’s impact fees, the Impact Fee Subcommittee has recommended that school and recreation impact fees be suspended and water and sewer fees be condensed into a simplified systems development fee.  An impact fee is a fee that is implemented by a …

Some impact fees to be refunded soon
Hometown News, FL – December 30, 2011
Refunding unused traffic impact fees, the topic of many a long discussion in the Indian River County Commission chambers this year, may soon find its way to the pockets of some county residents. The commissioners voted 4-1 during the Dec. 20 meeting to refund some of the money …

Frederick aldermen look at water and sewer fees
Maryland Community News Online, MD – December 30, 2011
Home builders in Frederick city may soon pay less in water and sewer fees, while those who redevelop commercial property may pay nothing. When builders obtain a Frederick city building permit, they must pay an “impact fee” that the city uses to repay the debt it took on to build the water …

Some Homeowners Due Refund on School Fees In Pleasanton
The Independent, CA – December 30, 2011
Some homeowners and developers are eligible for a partial refund on the fees that they paid the Pleasanton school district between January 2010 and Dec. 13, 2011. Robert Kingsley, a Folsom attorney who represents the district, told the school board Dec. 13 that anyone who paid the fee of $8.62 …

Council makes right call on fees
The Herald, NC – December 30, 2011
Selma leaders have reached the conclusion – perhaps reluctantly – that businesses make decisions based on costs. Only in government could that be an epiphany. Last month, town leaders decided to lower the development fees paid by the highest-dollar projects in Selma. With a little …

Sherwood City Council tables impact fee proposal
Polaskinews.net, AR – December 30, 2011
The Sherwood City Council voted 6-2 Monday to table “indefinitely” a proposal to enact impact fees. Alderman Tim McMinn made the motion and Alderman Charles Harmon seconded it. Besides McMinn and Harmon, the motion was supported by Aldermen Kenneth Keplinger, Toni Butler, …

Possible impact fee changes discussed
Frederick News Post, MD – December 29, 2011
Frederick water and sewer impact fees may get shaken up a little in the new year if the mayor and Board of Aldermen vote in favor of proposed changes. During a city workshop Wednesday, aldermen discussed the effects of adjusting some fees and how they are allocated. The city collects …

City impact fee options revised
Bonner County Daily Bee, ID – December 29, 2011
In an exhaustive four-hour meeting, city officials spent half the time making final revisions to the revised impact fee system last Wednesday. One of the biggest city projects to be completed before new council members are sworn in, the new impact fee system is based on extensive work by …

MORENO VALLEY: Council to consider reducing developer fees
Press-Enterprise, AZ – December 28, 2011
The Moreno Valley City Council will consider lowering the fees it charges developers, which officials say are higher than those in many Inland communities. Barry Foster, the city’s community and economic development director, said that by reducing the financial barriers to growth …

Rialto approves increases in development fees
San Bernardino Sun, CA – December 28, 2011
Rialto City Council Tuesday night unanimously voted to approve sweeping increases in development impact fees, many for the first time in more than a decade. The revised fees, which will be phased in over a period of four years, places Rialto in the middle with its fee structure, …

Mayor voices concerns with Summit’s storm water management fee
Twinsburg Bulletin, OH – December 28, 2011
Mayor Katherine Procop opposes a proposed countywide storm water management plan that would cost homeowners around $12 a year for the next two years and raise between $5 million and $6 million for mitigation projects throughout the county. Procop voiced her concerns with the proposal …

Coupeville refunds park fees
Whidbey Examiner, WA – December 22, 2011
More than a year after a state auditor told the Town of Coupeville to refund park impact fees that it had improperly spent on installing a sidewalk, 14 property owners got their fee money back – plus interest. The town will refund a total of $13,538. A letter was sent to each property owner …

Impact fee refunds big issue for county
VeroBeachOnline.com, FL – December 22, 2011
Local activist Charlie Wilson says the county may be liable for tens of millions of dollars in impact fee refunds to developers whose projects went bust when the real es tate boom collapsed. “Court suits are either in place or pending that could leave taxpayers on the hook for upwards of $50 million …

Commissioners agree to return unspent impact fees to group of Vero Beach …
Vero Beach Press-Journal, FL – December 21, 2011
The last Vero Beach property owners who paid into a $132,159 traffic-impact fee fund will see refunds in the next three months, county commissioners agreed Tuesday. In a 4-1 vote, commissioners agreed to return the unspent fees, which have been sitting in a county fund since 1999, …

County suspends impact fees again for 2012
Gulf Breeze News, FL – December 21, 2011
Santa Rosa County Commissioners have extended the suspension of transportation impact fees for the fourth year, through December 2012. Any new construction – residential or commercial – that would normally be assessed a transportation impact fee during the building permit process in …

Gilbert reduces impact-fee structure
Arizona Republic, AZ – December 20, 2011
Developers in Gilbert will pay about 6 percent less in impact fees after the Town Council last week adopted a new rate structure as mandated by state law. Senate Bill 1525, signed by the governor earlier this year, added restrictions on how municipalities can assess developer fees and …

Builders ask for help from the county
Gainesville Sun, FL – December 19, 2011
In the extended down economy, area builders are pushing Alachua County commissioners for changes they say would assist local businesses. In meetings with individual commissioners, representatives of the Builders Association of North Central Florida pressed for a moratorium on the …

St. Petersburg’s inquiry into hotel developer’s fee break lacked vigor, records show.
Tampabay.com, FL – December 18, 2011
With the stroke of a pen at the dizzying height of the building boom, a city employee made $219,951 vanish. When Don Tyre, a plans examiner, altered a permit for a nine-story Hilton hotel about seven years ago, it violated a county ordinance, siphoned city revenue away from roads …

Lake commissioners extend moratorium on transportation impact fees
Orlando Sentinel, FL – December 14, 2011
County commissioners agreed this week to move ahead with extending a moratorium on collecting transportation impact fees for the next year. Commissioner Welton Cadwell has long supported impact fees for building and improving roads. However, he said he wouldn’t support collecting …

Hearing attendees mostly favor impact fee suspension
Martinsburg Journal, WV – December 14, 2011
At a public hearing held by the Jefferson County Commission Wednesday night, 10 people spoke in support of a request by the Jefferson County Development Authority to suspend commercial impact fees for two to four years, while four people spoke against the suspension of those fees. JCDA …

Debateable: Would development fee change work in the real world?
Bakersfield Californian, CA – December 10, 2011
City staff and council members have been debating how to ease the burden of a $12,870 fee developers pay for each new house they build. The aim is to breathe life back into the industry. How about adding the fee to buyers’ property taxes? Temporarily cutting the fee? Directing …

Peoria must reduce impact fees to comply with new state law
AZ Central.com, AZ – December 9, 2011
Starting next year , Peoria can no longer charge homebuilders a fee for trash containers or solid-waste vehicles to service new homes. Any future expansion of municipal buildings such as the City Court cannot come from those fees either. The new rules are the result of a new state law dealing …

Maple Valley makes changes to traffic impact fees
Maple Valley Reporter, WA – December 7, 2011
Developers in Maple Valley will have an easier time calculating their transportation impact fee (TIF) when applying for permits. The Maple Valley City Council voted at its Nov. 28 meeting to repeal the ordinance pertaining to TIFs replaced it with a new ordinance. Under the previous …

Road impact fee exemption extended to spur downtown Bonita Springs
Naples Daily News, FL – December 7, 2011
With redevelopment efforts finally showing signs of life in downtown Bonita Springs, City Council members on Wednesday unanimously voted to extend a road impact fee exemption for projects built in the district. The exemption was set to end at the beginning of next year but will be extended …

Maple Valley City Council approves new School Impact Fee
Maple Valley Reporter, WA – December 6, 2011
Maple Valley City Council voted to approve a new School Impact Fee (SIF) as a part of the 2011-2016 Capital Facilities Plan at its Nov. 28 meeting. The new SIF raises the single family permit fee from $7,791 to $7,896, a $105 increase. The multiple family fee was raised from $2,920 to $3063, …

City considers new road impact fee
Denton Record Chronicle, TX – December 5, 2011
Denton city leaders are considering charging developers a new fee to help pay for street improvements. Under a plan presented Monday, the city would impose a road impact fee on developers whose projects are expected to create additional traffic. The fees would help fund new streets and …

Board looking at deferring collection of school impact fees
Carroll County Times, MD – December 2, 2011
The impact fee paid by developers to address school capacity issues may not be collected for two years if the Carroll County Board of Commissioners act on a suggestion by the county’s leading budget advisor. The county’s impact fee provides facilities and infrastructure improvements for …

Committee explores complexities of lowering development fees
Bakersfield Californian, CA – November 30, 2011
A task force discussion on the hot-button issue of city development fees Tuesday generated lots of ideas, but few specifics. The group of Bakersfield City Council members and city staff is looking into ways to revive the local homebuilding industry.Its first meeting centered on the $12,870 …

OUR VIEW: Traffic impact fees are high but necessary
Bakersfield Californian, CA – November 30, 2011
Bakersfield leaders are right to oppose the idea suggested by local homebuilders to temporarily suspend the traffic impact fee in order to spur new home sales. The $12,870 transportation impact fee developers have to pay for each new home is high, but for a reason. For years, the fee …

Clovis passes development fee reduction
– November 29, 2011
The Clovis City Council has approved a two-year development impact fee reduction in an effort to stimulate development in the city. At its Nov. 21 meeting, the council approved a temporary fee reduction that will begin Dec. 1 and continue for the next 24 months, after which the program will …

DOE to hold hearing on developer impact fee for Leeward Oahu
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI – November 28, 2011
A public hearing is set for December to discuss development-related school impact fee proposals for Leeward Oahu. Under state law, the Department of Education is authorized to collect impact fees from all new residential development in certain areas. The law requires the designation of impact …

Get to the bottom of sweetheart fee deals
St. Petersburg Times, FL – November 28, 2011
Just how many developers have received sweetheart deals from St. Petersburg City Hall? Officially, no one knows. City officials never attempted to find out, nor did they acknowledge publicly that some businesses were given unauthorized breaks on transportation impact fees. But Mayor …

Vice Speaker Intros Bill Requiring GWA to Tell Customers About the
Guam News – November 27, 2011
Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz has introduced a bill requiring the Guam Waterworks Authority to notify ratepayer that a program is available that will help make GWA’s System Development Charge [SDC] more affordable. The SDC is meant to help GWA recover the cost of hooking up a newly constructed …

Sapphire Plaza owner asks for 7-year fee deferral
Orland Press, FL – November 25, 2011
A request by the owners of Sapphire Plaza to pay $124,000 in development impact fees over seven years was met with skepticism Monday by the Orland City Council. Interim City Manager Gail Wingard described it as an “unusual request” as far as he was concerned as most cities do not …

Panel wants to raise city’s road impact fees
Daily Interlake, MT – November 25, 2011
A routine review of Kalispell’s transportation impact fees found they should be increased by about 12 percent for the next two years. The city’s impact fee advisory committee recently approved a fact-finding study done by the Public Works Department staff to develop recommended fees. The study …

Sarasota Park Impact Fees to Stay
Patch.com, FL – November 23, 2011
Sarasota City Commissioner Shannon Snyder wanted the county to stop collecting park impact fees if the city would stop charging, but the county disagreed on the proposal. Commissioner Shannon Snyder had hoped his county counterparts would agree to stop collecting park impact fees …

Corbett disputes claim that impact fee is tax
Connellsville Daily Courier, PA – November 22, 2011
Washington anti-tax guru Grover Norquist and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett are parting company. At least for now. Corbett on Monday rejected Norquist’s contention that a levy on Marcellus shale drillers in H.B. 1950, legislation based on the governor’s plan, would be a tax. Corbett …

Governor Norquist Doesn’t Like the House Impact Fee
Keystone Politics, PA – November 22, 2011
I’m late to this, but I didn’t see much discussion of Grover Norquist’s statement on the House impact fee last week: The nation’s chief tax definer, Grover Norquist, has published an open letter to Pennsylvania lawmakers. He calls the Corbett Administration-sponsored impact fee slated for a final …

Impact fee waiver saves Oak Hill $320291
Hernando Today, FL – November 22, 2011
Oak Hill Hospital is the first big recipient of the county’s decision to waive impact fees for a year. Building department statistics show the hospital will save about $320,291 from the board’s decision. The hospital had already budgeted the money and was poised to pay it upon issuance of the building …

Corbett: Norquist And I Have “A Difference Of Opinion” Over Impact Fee
Capitol Ideas with John L. Micek (blog), PA – November 21, 2011
It Ain’t Exactly Martin Luther nailing his list of grievances to the cathedral door, but Gov. Tom Corbett put some daylight between himself and GOP tax enforcer Grover Norquist this afternoon, telling a packed house at the Pennsylvania Press Club that an impact fee bill now before the state Senate …

Tucson expected to lose millions of dollars under impact fee law
Arizona Daily Star, AZ – November 21, 2011
The city of Tucson could lose millions in development impact fees under a new state law that will eliminate its ability to charge some of them. Impact fees are a one-time charge levied against new residential and commercial developments to offset costs of new growth, from additional needs in …

Daytona Beach suspends 4 impact fees
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – November 17, 2011
The city has become the latest local government to impose a temporary moratorium on impact fees for new construction and developments. DeLand, Deltona, Edgewater and Volusia County all have impact fee moratoriums in place. The county passed its fee suspension last week. At their meeting …

UP cuts developer fees
TheNewsTribune.com, WA – November 17, 2011
University Place will reduce a fee paid by developers and offer them additional incentives, surpassing other South Sound cities that have adopted similar tactics to try to revitalize their flagging business centers and sales tax bases. The City Council voted unanimously this week to cut the …

Panel considers transportation impact fees
Daily Inter Lake, MT – November 17, 2011
Kalispell’s impact fee committee meets tonight to consider how much the city should charge for transportation impact fees over the next two years. The committee will meet with public works staffers to review the fee proposals and the future road projects and inflationary pressures used to justify …

Editorial: Impact fee decision shows council has mixed priorities
Hollister Free Lance, CA – November 17, 2011
A majority of Hollister council members were out of touch with the community’s priorities when they approved a completely irrational set of new traffic impact fees that stand to send an anti-business message to prospective developers. The Hollister council last week voted 3-2 in favor …

Nancy Hicks: Impact fee freeze losing council supporters
Lincoln Journal Star, NE – November 16, 2011
Had impact fees followed the consumer price index, they would be about 11 percent higher than they were five years ago. So fees for an average new home, $4,685, would be about $5,188 next year, if the City Council had not frozen them for the past five years. But council support for the …

County Suspends Annual Building Fee Increases
The Sacramento Press, CA – November 15, 2011
Sacramento County Supervisors have voted to suspend the automatic annual fee adjustments for several development impact fee programs. “As part of our ongoing effort to encourage business and job opportunities, and improve the local economy, we have held back automatic fee …

Impact fees on the way out in Kingman
Kingman Daily Miner, AZ – November 15, 2011
Council will take the final step tonight toward repealing nearly all impact fees, and it will also hold a public hearing regarding expected rate hikes to wastewater user fees and monthly fixed charges as well as water connection fees. Senate Bill 1525, which passed earlier this year, makes it so cities …

UPlace lowers traffic impact fee by at least 20 percent
TheNewsTribune.com (blog), WA – November 14, 2011
The University City Council reduced Monday night the fee it assesses developers to help pay for improved streets to accommodate growth. Other revisions to the traffic impact fee include offering credits and allowing payment of the fee in installments. The revisions are intended to drive …

Hernando County’s vote on impact fees takes school district by surprise
Tampabay.com, FL – November 11, 2011
The Hernando School Board will decide Tuesday how to weigh in on the County Commission’s decision to make a deeper cut in impact fees. Problem is, the board will be about four hours too late. The commission is slated to take a formal vote on the issue at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The School …

Apply reasonable fees for businesses
Gazette.Net: Maryland Community News Online, MD – November 10, 2011
Flexibility is key to managing the uncertainties of today’s economy, especially when it comes to government policies. The City of Frederick found out as much recently when the investors behind Volt Restaurant balked at the $205,000 price tag for water and sewer impact fees to open another …

Get rid of all impact fees
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – November 9, 2011
I noticed in Thursday’s News-Journal that the city of Daytona Beach is considering suspending some impact fees. Why not all? The impact fee is hurting new growth, builders and businesses. I am glad to see that the city is getting smarter and realizes that impact fees are hurting growth, builders …

Scarborough sets impact fees for Route 1 development
KeepMEcurrent.com, ME – November 9, 2011
The cost of commercial development in Scarborough has gone up, thanks to the implementation of impact fees tied to recent improvements at the intersection of Route 1 and Haigis Parkway. At its most recent meeting, Nov. 2, the Town Council unanimously approved a new ordinance that will …

Solar groups commission impact study
The Desert Sun. CA – November 8, 2011
On the eve of a planned vote by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on a proposed $640 per-acre solar fee, opponents say county officials need to provide more facts and figures. Three solar industry trade groups announced Monday they have commissioned longtime Inland Empire …

School Board votes to stop paying city stormwater fees
Ocala, FL – November 8, 2011
School Board officials threw off their gloves in their fight with the city of Ocala over the implementation of user fees, voting unanimously Tuesday night to immediately stop paying $9,500 per month in stormwater fees. The emergency vote came just three weeks after the city of Ocala …

Riverside County solar fees could dwarf that of neighbors’
The Desert Sun, CA – November 6, 2011
When Kern County wanted to attract solar and other renewable energy projects to the region, it came up with a comprehensive plan on where it wanted to put the development — mostly on disturbed private land — and its likely impacts. And after negotiations with solar companies, county …

Panel suggests axing some city charges
Daily Inter Lake, MT – November 5, 2011
Citing continued economic challenges in Whitefish, a committee tasked with reviewing the resort town’s impact fees has recommended dropping some of the fees. The committee also recommended the City Council consider either an in-house study or independent review of the impact fee schedule …

Prescott Valley council chastises Legislature, homebuilders association on impact fee law
Prescott Daily Courier, AZ – November 4, 2011
The Town Council Thursday chastised the state Legislature for approving a state law that council members believe restricts the abilities of Arizona cities and towns to collect development impact fees. “I think, to summarize it, the Legislature should get a life,” Mayor Harvey Skoog said at the start of …

Impact fees on course to shrink
TampaBay.com, FL – November 2, 2011
With the local economy at a standstill, the Hernando County Commission on Tuesday decided that a further reduction in impact fees is needed to jump-start construction activity. Commissioners decided by consensus to roll back fees to 1999 levels and drop the fee for remodeling nonresidential …

Mountain View council members split over contentious talk over affordable housing funds
San Jose Mercury News, CA – November 1, 2011
According to the agenda for Tuesday night, the Mountain View City Council was to consider a levying a fee on apartment developers for affordable housing funds. Instead, the study session went on for an extra hour, four council members voted to scrap the fee, and talk of a possible parcel tax …

Impact fees: Ordinance continues to change; Developers oppose
Newnan Times-Herald, GA – October 30, 2011
Changes to Coweta County’s impact fee ordinance aren’t expected to end anytime soon, despite the last five years of amendments. In addition to this month’s reversal on Coweta County Medical Office Investors fees, the Coweta County Board of Commissioners also agreed to review a request …

Coweta settles impact fee dispute with medical office
Newnan Times-Herald, GA – October 30, 2011
Coweta County agreed last week to settle another one of its impact fee disputes, and this time with the developers of a medical office building. The county settled for $25,000 of the approximate $107,030 the developers were originally assessed in transportation impact fees. The Coweta Board …

Town officials split on issue of raising road impact fees
Windsor Beacon, CO – October 28, 2011
Road impact fees came back before the Windsor Town Board last Monday night and incited a good deal of controversy on the board before the issued was tabled. “I’ll tell you now, I’m going to vote against any kind of fee increase,” Windsor Mayor John Vazquez said. In 2001, the Town of …

Snoqualmie and schools move closer on impact fees
SnoValley Star, WA – October 26, 2011
Officials from Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Valley School District are closer to an agreement on collecting impact fees from housing development for 2012. But the district won’t get any money for 2011. The city and the school district still haven’t reached a compromise regarding the …

Bozeman City Commission opts not to lower impact fees
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – October 25, 2011
A majority of Bozeman City Commissioners said they aren’t interested in cutting street impact fees now. Commissioners said late Monday night that they’d prefer to wait for the results of a study under way to determine the appropriate fee amounts. The city reviews its fees every three years. “I …

Mayor Recaps Traffic Impact Fee, Kobayashi Discussions
Patch.com, WA – October 21, 2011
Revising the City’s Traffic Impact Fee and redesigning the Kobayashi house were featured topics at this week’s University Place City Council meeting. Traffic Impact Fees are one of the most controversial and misunderstood issues in our community. Under state law, developers …

School Board looks for land for new schools
Ocala, FL – October 20, 2011
Marion County Public Schools has nearly $6.8 million worth of impact fee revenue earmarked for growth that must be spent by the end of the 2016-17 school year. But with little student growth expected during the next five school years, it would be nearly impossible for the …

High Impact Fee
Frederick News Post, MD – October 19, 2011
Renowned chef Bryan Voltaggio and his business partner, Hilda Staples, are interested in opening a second eatery on North Market Street in Frederick. Their Volt restaurant has been a smashing success, garnering regional recognition and attracting diners willing …

Frederick struggles with water, sewer fees
Maryland Community News Online, MD – October 19, 2011
Frederick city officials say they are struggling to determine who should pay the $134 million price tag attached to the cost of growth: the people already here or those yet to come. Frederick has borrowed $120 million since 2005 to expand the city’s water …

23% impact fee cut nears
TriValley Central, AZ – October 19, 2011
The Casa Grande City Council took the first steps Monday night to comply with a law passed by the Arizona Legislature at the request of the Central Arizona Homebuilders Association that severely limits how development impact fees may be calculated and where they …

Bonita lends itself money for roadwork
The News-Press, FL – October 19, 2011
The Bonita Springs City Council didn’t have money in its road impact fee fund last year to widen Bonita Beach Road, so it took $2.2 million from its general fund. On Wednesday, the council approved a loan for that amount from the general fund to the road impact fee fund to be …

Redding council grants developer fee holiday, takes forest planning role
Record-Searchlight, CA – October 18, 2011
Top Redding officials this evening took steps to revive local home construction and seize a role in national forest planning. The City Council voted 4-1 to suspend traffic and sewer fees for new homes through mid-2012. The council also voted unanimously to …

Ocala sues School Board over fire fees
Ocala.com, FL – October 17, 2011
The city of Ocala is suing the School Board for $572,265 for fire service user fees and interest that have not been paid since January 2007. Whether the suit goes before a judge will depend on what happens during the mediation, which begins Monday. The city …

Corning hikes impact fee
Daily News, CA – October 14, 2011
The City Council approved an increase in the water well development impact fee and issued several proclamations Tuesday. It allows for six wells, City Engineer Ed Anderson said of the increase. That’s what we projected to be needed in the next 20 years. Mayor Gary Strack …

School board balks on study calling for impact fee hike
Orlando Sentinel, FL – October 14, 2011
Lake County School Board wants more information on a study that suggests higher impact fees be charged to homebuilders. The school district’s impact fees have been suspended until next April, but the study is required every three years to prove the fees are …

Council increases park impact fees, cuts traffic fees
PNW Local News, WA – October 14, 2011
To keep up with its population growth projections, the Poulsbo City Council adjusted impact fee ordinances to offset the cost of park maintenance and transportation development. On Wednesday, the council voted to increase impact fees for residential and …

Developers have to wait another year for new road impact fee system
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO – October 7, 2011
A proposed county-wide system for collecting fees from developers for new roads and intersections has been put on hold for another year. Earlier this week, El Paso County commissioners scuttled plans to move forward with a complicated structure that would have …

City impact fee options mulled
Bonner County Daily Bee, ID – October 6, 2011
The Impact Fee Advisory Committee played a balancing act Tuesday of minimizing fee increases while preserving adequate development. Concerned that the impact fees proposed by consulting firm TischlerBise might discourage the building industry and newcomers…

City faces losing cash for projects
TriValley Central, AZ – September 30, 2011
Casa Grande is doing a development impact fee study and drawing guidelines to meet requirements of a new state law pushed through the Arizona Legislature by homebuilders and developers to limit what fees may be charged and how the city may use the money. Casa …

Hoffmann: The demise of impact fees
Hawaii 24/7, HI – September 28, 2011
On Sept. 21, in a surprising reversal of its Planning Committee recommendation two weeks previous, the County Council voted 5-4 to defeat the long-anticipated Impact Fee legislation. Despite the obvious need (expressed by almost everyone even remotely involved on this issue) …

Council may raise impact fees for developers
TheNewsTribune.com, WA – September 26, 2011
The Richland City Council on Tuesday will look at raising the parks fee paid for each new home built in the city. City staff members say the fee, known as an impact fee, needs to nearly double — from $683 per single-family home to $1,187, or a 74 percent increase — to cover the …

Hawaii County Council considering new construction fee
Bizjournals.com (blog), HI – September 9, 2011
The Hawaii County Council is considering a bill that would impose a tax on building permits for new construction to pay for infrastructure and services on the Big Island. The Tribune Herald reports that the council’s planning committee advanced an impact fee bill that …

Centerville officials ask: Is it time for impact fee update?
StandardNet, UT – September 8, 2011
The city is considering whether its impact fees, which haven’t been updated in more than 13 years, need to be changed. Currently, a park impact fee of $1,200 per residential unit is charged. City staff have approached the council and said that, to comply with the …

Impact Fees Increase For Commercial and Industrial Developers
Patch.com, WI – September 7, 2011
Fees for new industrial and commercial developers are set to rise in Menomonee Falls, which already has one of the highest fee structures in the area. The Village Board approved a resolution to add an additional impact fee to fund construction of a new fire station …

City studies impact fee options
Bonner County Daily Bee, ID – September 7, 2011
The Planning Commission is set to tackle the tricky issue of impact fees after an expert financial consultant presented his firm’s study findings.  Carson Bise of the fiscal consultant firm TischlerBise recommended that the commission consider increasing several …

Local Officials Voice Opposition to County Impact Fee Plan
Valley Voice, CA – September 7, 2011
A plan by the Board of Supervisors to impose countywide developer impact fees continues to draw fire from city officials around Tulare County. Last week, the Tulare County Council of Cities sent a scathing letter to the Board of Supervisors regarding the ongoing …

Recreation Impact Fee Money Reserved for Parks Only, Commissioners Say
Patch.com, FL – September 7, 2011
Supporters of the Land O’ Lakes Community Center got some of what they wanted /from county commissioners Tuesday, receiving assurances money raised by recreation impact fees can’t be diverted for other uses. Sandy Graves, president of the Heritage Park …

Impact fee alternatives on the table
Kingman Daily Miner, AZ – September 6, 2011
Impact fees are back in the limelight, as they made it on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting for a discussion regarding provisions, alternatives and the implementation of Senate Bill 1525, which overhauled Arizona’s impact/development fee system. On …

Study of impact fee legal effects may cost Gilbert up to $150K
AZ Central.com, AZ – September 5, 2011
Gilbert may have to spend as much as $150,000 for an independent study to determine the legal effects of new impact-fee legislation and rewrite the town’s current fee structure. Officials expect to hire a consulting firm this month and have a new fee structure …

Impact fee refunds remain legal issue for Indian River County
VeroNews, FL – September 2, 2011
Indian River County is entangled in complicated legal and accounting questions related to impact fee refunds, and is facing the prospect of at least one multi-million-dollar lawsuit. To help the County Commission navigate murky legal waters surrounding the issue, County Attorney Alan …

Where did the impact fee money go?
Hernando Today, FL – August 30, 2011
After reading the article titled “County to examine limerock road dust problem” in Friday’s edition, I would just like to commend County Commissioner Wayne Dukes for his efforts to help those of us who live on these limerock roads. I will not bore you with all the negatives …

Mayors debate impact fees, growth plans at home builders meeting
Charleston Post Courier, SC – August 27, 2011
Don’t get home builders — and apparently a mayor or two — started about impact fees. The controversial topic came up Tuesday during a mayoral roundtable at the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association annual meeting. The Post and Courier’s TV host and writer …

Cary Weighs New Fee for Apartments
LoanSafe, NC – August 26, 2011
The town of Cary is considering new rules that would force apartment builders to save room for parks and open space or pay a fee — a move that could slow the growth of controversial high-density development.The effort, if successful, would put the town at odds with Wake …

Letter: Impact fee discourages businesses
The Columbian, WA – August 25, 2011
To understand our nation’s persistent high unemployment, we couldn’t find a clearer explanation than the local example of Chuck’s Produce and its efforts to build a new store on Highway 99 in Hazel Dell. Because the new store will — horrors! — create traffic, Chuck’s is faced with a $1 million impact fee. A Chuck’s Produce spokesman stated, “We’ve built in 49 states and …

Impact fees on new homes dropped in some areas of Volusia
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – August 24, 2011
The Volusia County Council has officially called a timeout on impact fees in many already-developed parts of the county — but it wasn’t easy. It won’t exactly be simple to implement, either, judging by the council’s latest discussion. The council, which agreed in principle last month on a two-year, impact-fee moratorium, voted 5-2 last week to approve the …

Romeoville slashes fees on new homes
Chicago Sun-Times, IL – August 18, 2011
Officials have approved a plan to lower fees for new home construction. Under the Build Romeoville program, the village will lower new home permit fees by $5,000 with hopes that it will stimulate residential construction. Development director Steve Rockwell said that an average home permit can cost around $16,000 and that the reduction could help …

Applications for impact fee refund now cost less in Indian River County
TCPalm, FL – August 16, 2011
Hundreds of would-be homeowners, who took out county permits and paid impact fees but gave up in the recession and never started construction, got a break Tuesday. In a 4-0 vote, county commissioners decreased the $200 impact fee refund application fee to $75. And applicants don’t have to pay up front, but can get their fees subtracted from their …

Centerville considers hiking park impact fee
Salt Lake Tribune, UT – August 16, 2011
Centerville officials are considering a possible increase in park impact fees to fund future additions and upgrades to trails and community green spaces. The city’s draft capital improvement master plan for parks identified $3 million in future improvements and expansions that could be funded by park impact fees. But the current $1,200 impact ….

Developers balk at impact fees
Cary News, NC – August 16, 2011
Developers are concerned about a new proposal that would require apartment builders save room for parks and open space or pay a fee to the town. At a meeting in Cary last week, representatives of the apartment industry cautioned that new fees could sink apartment projects with the economy still weak. “How competitive do we want Cary?” …

Bar owner challenges much higher impact fee on “drinking places”
Lincoln Journal Star, NE – August 15, 2011
The way things stand, a Lincoln bar pays almost twice as much in impact fees as a restaurant that serves drinks. That much higher impact fee is unfair, according to Lincoln bar owner Ameeta Martin, who is appealing an impact fee for a new bar she plans to open at 27th Street and Pine Lake Road. Martin must pay an additional $12,000 because she …

Poulsbo considers changes to impact fees
Kitsap Sun, WA – August 11, 2011
Changes are coming for traffic and park impact fees in Poulsbo, including an increase in the park fee to offset the impact new development has on Poulsbo parks. The city has collected traffic and park impact fees for 20 years, but it’s been 19 years since the park impact fee has been updated. Poulsbo saw significant growth in that time, but not all of that …

Osceola waivers on impact fees have mixed results
Orlando Sentinel, FL – August 10, 2011
Commercial construction has gone up 145 percent in Osceola County since a commercial impact fee moratorium was enacted in December, said Joe Johnston, the county’s impact fee coordinator. However, a moratorium that waived impact fees for residential construction, enacted in June, has had little impact so far. Residential construction …

Bold plan for transportation funding in Pasco
Tampabay.com, FL – August 7, 2011
Pasco County has embraced a new way to pay for transportation that will mean a generous break for developers of employment centers and high-density neighborhoods. But it also offers significant public benefits, including a guaranteed funding source for mass transit and fewer incentives to develop sprawling housing developments in rural areas. …

Plan Commission backs impact fee concept
nwitimes.com, IN – August 4, 2011
The Plan Commission has recommended the Town Council approve an impact fee amendment. Indiana law allows municipalities to levy impact fees on developers through the ordinance. The fees defray costs of capital improvements such as roads, sewers and parks. Cedar Lake passed an impact fee amendment late last year but had to repeal …

Medical property market favorable to Lee County doctors
The News-Press, FL – August 3, 2011
Death and taxes are the only certainties – and both are driving the success of the medical-office building sector in an otherwise bleak Southwest Florida commercial property market. One contractor, Fort Myers-based Mark Stevens of Mark Stevens construction, has thrived by making the most of medical. He recently won two statewide awards for medical …

Homebuilders: Regulation accounts for 25% of a new home’s price
Baltimore Sun, MD – August 2, 2011
In Maryland and across the country, local and state agencies shape the homebuilding process through regulations — rules about where and how companies can build. The idea is to avoid problems. But the National Association of Home Builders says regulations add a substantial cost, accounting for 25 percent of the price of a new single-family home. …

Hawaii Ed Board Rethinks School Impact Fees
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI – August 2, 2011
A series of legal stumbling blocks have Hawaii State Board of Education members rethinking a tax designed to help construct new schools. The tax, known as a school impact fee was established in 2007 by the “hawaii-legislature”. Landowners who build new homes in designated “high-gro” aas must pay the fee to help build school public schools in …

Opinion: Time to start rewriting capital-project funding
Arizona Republic, AZ – August 1, 2011
One thing on which cities agree: New rules for impact-fee collection and use will be wide-reaching. But how, exactly, will cities operate under the law? That remains to be seen. Chandler is concerned that Senate Bill 1525 may force it to cancel or delay needed road and park improvements and is hiring a consultant to help it weed through ambiguous wording …

After Debate, No Change Made to Development Fees
Patch.com – August 1, 2011
City Council chose not to make any adjustment to current Public Facilities Fees, which have not changed since 2009, though not without quite a bit of debate during Tuesday’s meeting. The Public Facilities Fees, also known as the Development Impact Fees, are a bundle of charges collected from new developments to help pay for public services such …

Osceola spends $280k on traffic study
MyFoxOrlando.com, FL – August 1, 2011
The study aims to find out whether or not traffic impact fees, the taxes developers pay to build roads, should be raised or lowered. Commissioner John Quinones says it’s time to take a fresh look at what Osceola County charges. “The impact fee ordinance has not been recalcualted, it has not been amended in many, many, many years.” Commissioner …

Has the lack of impact fees spurred growth in the county?
Ocala, FL – July 31, 2011
In the coming months, residents of southeast Ocala will be able to cruise the aisles of a new Publix along Southeast Maricamp Road.  For generating all the traffic outside the store, the grocer would have paid $126,722 in transportation impact fees — if Marion County still collected such fees.  A company spokesman said in a n e-mail that since Publix …

Chamber, developers say impact fees driving businesses away from Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – July 31, 2011
Faced with rigorous and expensive city development standards, Kohl’s department store executives were getting ready to hop a plane last year and abandon plans to open a store here. The city wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars in impact fees, reconstruction of a nearby intersection and changes to the look of the store being proposed. Executives …

NHC commissioners hope to keep local gov’t out of the court room
WECT-TV6 – July 29, 2011
Commissioners in New Hanover County will consider an amendment that could keep local government out of the court room.  The amendment would only affect Planned Development (PD) zoning districts in the county. Even more specific, only developers planning to increase the density of their construction location would notice the difference …

New retail stores planned in Madras
Newnan Times-Herald, GA – July 26, 2011
Grading work is in full swing for a new gas station and convenience store in Madras. The approved plans for the site, at the corner of U.S. 29 and Edgeworth Road, show a 5,400-square-foot convenience store with an attached 1,500-foot Subway restaurant. Plans also show four gas islands, with two gas pumps each, plus an off-road diesel pump. …

Moratorium on Volusia County school impact fee unlikely
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 26, 2011
With a County Council agreement for a two-year moratorium on some impact fees freshly in hand, the leader of the Volusia Building Industry Association set his sights on similar deals with the School Board and local cities. But a lawsuit the association filed in 2008 challenging the legality of the school impact fee makes it unlikely Mark  …

Hiller questions if Collier staff properly accounting for impact fee payments
Naples Daily News, FL – July 25, 2011
Collier Commissioner Georgia Hiller contends county government has some unpaid bills to the impact fee fund and she wants it resolved. The tab could be as much as $2.3 million for impact fee waivers over two years already awarded to 60 companies for commercial redevelopment. The figure could reach $3 million if a $500,0000 waiver goes through for …

New impact-fee law takes effect
Arizona Republic, AZ – July 25, 2011
A new law limiting how cities collect development-impact fees took effect this week, but it’s so complex that Chandler will have to hire a consultant to help with the reporting requirements, said city engineer Sheina Hughes. “We know it’s going to affect us. We just don’t know how yet,” she said of the law that took effect Wednesday. It’s one of the 357 measures passed …

Volusia council votes to draft impact-fee moratorium on some new homes
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 22, 2011
The Volusia County Council took its first step today toward placing a two-year moratorium on certain impact fees on new home construction — and builders who showed up to support the measure promised they would pass the savings on to buyers.  “Seeing both sides of the road full of vans and pickup trucks and hearing hammers, it’s a good feeling, and …

Hearing set for impact fee refunds
St. George Daily Spectrum, UT – July 21, 2011
The Enoch City Council discussed refunding a secondary water impact fee paid by some residents between 2009 and 2010, before the council voted to repeal the fee in July 2010. Councilwoman Celesta Lyman said after the council approved the repeal of the secondary water impact fees last year, the council tabled further discussion …

Local Governments Suspend Impact Fees
WFTV Orlando – July 19, 2011
Local governments are giving up millions of dollars they used to collect from developers and they suspended impact fees to encourage new construction. But WFTV learned on Tuesday why critics call it “builder welfare.” John Drury’s City Hall office is a room with a view. “I see eight new restaurants,” said Drury. It’s part of the business boom in Tavares. In 2009, …

Ocala may turn up heat on School Board over $500K-plus in fire fees
Ocala, FL – July 18, 2011
The Ocala City Council will decide Tuesday whether to put the Marion County School Board on notice that the city intends to begin conflict resolution procedures to collect the more than $500,000 it believes it is owed for fire protection. School officials say they are not obligated to pay such fees because there is no contract. The City Council on March 15 directed …

Supervisors adopt legislative authority to collect impact fees
Porterville Record, CA – July 15, 2011
To compensate for an increasing demand for new county public and traffic facilities, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to adopt the legislative power to collect development impact fees within the unincorporated areas of the county and also within cities. According to the two ordinances adopted, each of the eight incorporated cities in the …

Are impact fees the real villain?
News Sun, FL – July 15, 2011
The impact fee issue has been discussed and thrashed out for years now. The most recent public hearing on it drew this conclusion: Impact fees have successfully been made the scapegoat of the housing industry. Somehow, the housing industry – that is, developers, contractors, realtors, banking and insurance industries (a.k.a. Corporate America) …

Impact fees approved in 3-2 vote
St. George Daily Spectrum, UT – July 13, 2011
In a 3-2 vote the Cedar City Council approved the adoption of the impact fee facility plan, which will result in an approximately 18 percent decrease in total impact fees collected by the city. The split vote saw councilmen Ron Adams and Steve Wood voting against the proposal in favor of greater discounts. At its last meeting, the City Council asked for information on the …

Council lifts hold on Town impact fees; needs income
Chino Valley Review, CA – July 13, 2011
New homes being built in Chino Valley will once again include a Town impact fee. The temporary moratorium on the fees expired June 30, which a prior Chino Valley Town Council voted in place to give new homeowners a break. Now council members say the Town could use the money, desperately. With a dwindling budget, the council took “no action” at the June 28 meeting on …

Tea party activists don’t keep Pasco commissioners from approving mobility fee
St. Petersburg Times, FL – July 13, 2011
Pasco commissioners were all set to approve a major shift in transportation and growth planning. They had hashed out the details in several public meetings since February. The vote Tuesday was to be somewhat of a formality. But they still had to face a packed crowd of angry tea party members. Clad in matching dark blue and red shirts, the activists worried the …

Commission Approves New Mobility Fees for Transportation
Patch.com, FL – July 13, 2011
Pasco County commissioners on Tuesday lowered the price developers will pay for new roads as a way to encourage growth that may eventually bring new jobs. The unanimous vote put in place a new set of levies called mobility fees to replace transportation impact fees that have been in effect for decades. The impact fees were charged to new construction as a way …

Tulare County supervisors establish authorities to set impact fees
Visalia Times-Delta, CA – July 12, 2011
Tulare County supervisors have approved a pair of ordinances that will allow them to charge impact fees for new home and business construction in unincorporated parts of the county as well as cities. But Supervisor Allen Ishida told people attending today’s meeting that the county isn’t imposing those fees right now and may not do so for four or five years.

Revamped Road Fees Set For Final Commission Vote
Patch.com, FL – July 12, 2011
Pasco County commissioners could lop thousands of dollars from the cost of building a new home in hopes that someday the move will help spur development. Commissioners are scheduled to take the last of two votes today to enact a new set of road fees that would replace transportation impact fees. The measure comes up at 1:30 p.m. on the …

Surprise, other cities discuss new impact-fee limits
Arizona Republic, AZ – July 8, 2011
Surprise is not alone in its frustration and confusion about a new state law limiting what fees cities can assess builders. Representatives from cities across metropolitan Phoenix met last month at a workshop to discuss the law’s impact. Many said they were unsure about how pieces would be interpreted, but all agreed the law is an albatross for cities. …

Wrong facts, wrong law equal bad decision
Naples Daily News, FL – July 7, 2011
On Tuesday, June 30, 2011, Commissioner Georgia Hiller irresponsibly tried to hurt Collier County when she inexplicably confused facts, drew incorrect legal conclusions and assigned motives in her vote against Arthrex’s application for economic incentives from the county. In the debate on Tuesday, Commissioner Hiller pointed to several “facts.” Upon further review by the EDC …

Remaining settlement money belongs to the builders
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – July 5, 2011
We would like to clarify some misconceptions and misunderstandings about the impact fee lawsuit and the remaining funds that were not distributed to members of the class. The recent media attention given to this situation has failed to mention the most important fact that comes from the lawsuit and SWMBIA’s reasoning for not returning the money to the city. First, a …

Impact-fee moratorium continues
Tbo.com, FL – July 1, 2011
An 11-member citizen’s review committee recommended the reinstatement of impact fees, but Highlands County commissioners voted 4-0 against the idea on Tuesday evening. Only two people spoke in favor of the fees, which were adopted in 2006 and instituted in 2007. However, when the economy soured, commissioners suspended collections in June 2009, and again …

Snoqualmie impact fee wrangle continues as school board approves 2012 charge
PNW Local News, WA – July 1, 2011
Snoqualmie Valley School District’s latest construction proposal says a freshman campus is coming in 2013, and calls for the impact fees to pay for it. But the district’s Board of Directors appears willing to delay opening of a Mount Si High School annex, even as it renews efforts to push the city of Snoqualmie to collect the full charge. The board unanimously adopted …

Pasco commission closer to consensus on mobility fees
Tbo.com, FL – June 30, 2011
Pasco County commissioners this week inched closer to consensus on a new mobility fee ordinance that is set for a final vote July 12. But Commissioner Ted Schrader still isn’t satisfied with the new fee schedule, which he said penalizes rural property owners. The mobility fees, which would replace transportation impact fees on new construction, would help pay for …

BCC extends moratorium on impact fee collection
Clay Today, FL – June 30, 2011
County commissioners have extended a moratorium on transportation impact fees that essentially have never gone into effect since the fees first were imposed in 2008. After an hour-long discussion during a Board of County Commissioners meeting held on Tuesday, June 28, commissioners voted 5-0 to defer collection of the fees from developers for at least …

Proposed Mobility Fees Drop For Rural Areas
Patch.com, FL – June 29, 2011
Residents and developers building in rural parts of Pasco County should pay more for roads than in other places of the county, but not as much as originally proposed. That’s the rationale county commissioners used when they agreed Tuesday to modify proposed fees that would defray the cost of road construction brought on by new development. The new fees …

North Port legal fees: taxpayers help with records tab
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL – June 25, 2011
For years the City of North Port has allowed its legal counsel to charge taxpayers thousands of dollars to do work benefitting private businesses and individuals who sought copies of public records. City Attorney Rob Robinson and his firm would rack up dozens of billable hours copying and reviewing records, then offer the requestor a steep discount when the bills came …

County’s ‘Mobility Fee’ Stalls in New Port Richey
New Port Richey Patch, FL – June 23, 2011
Pasco County’s proposed “mobility fee” program will get nowhere in New Port Richey. The city council on Tuesday unanimously rejected the county’s proposal to adopt a regionalized mobility fee program to replace transportation impact fees …

Cedar City Council approves budget
thespectrum.com, UT – June 23, 2011
The revised impact fee proposal showed reduced fees in parks and recreation because of decreased land values. This lowering of impact fees wasn’t enough to satisfy many public members involved in construction and real estate who voiced strong opposition to impact fees during the public comment portion of the public hearing.

Transportation Impact Fee Discussed
Limerick-Royerford-Spring City Patch, PA – June 22, 2011
The Limerick Township Board of Supervisors heard two presentations on traffic/transportation …The first presentation came in the form of a public hearing on Act 209, which concerns the Transportation Impact Fee Ordinance.

Pasco Commissioners disagree on mobility fees
NewPortRicheyPatch, FL – June 22, 2011
Pasco County’s road to reducing and drastically revamping its transportation impact fees hit a bump Tuesday when commissioners differed on higher levies for construction in rural areas.

City fee cuts could provide business boost
HanfordSentinel.com, CA – June 20, 2011
Hanford city leaders are expected to take action on Tuesday to adopt an economic stimulus option that would temporarily reduce impact fees for new construction. Impact fees help offset the infrastructure expansion costs that new development brings, such as police, fire and utilities. But officials worry that the fees – which cost nearly $11,500 per single family …

Cape Coral to consider assessment on lots
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL – June 20, 2011
But if council approves a a proposed “infill assessment” for unimproved lots where utilities are available, Myers could be faced with another $5,000 – $6,000 – plus against future services he says he will never use. Should council go down that road, Myers said the city can expect a host of legal challenges, one of which will be his own.

City in legal battle with SWMBIA over the remainder of $5 million impact fee …
KBZK Bozeman News, MT – June 20, 2011
The City of Bozeman is heading back to court against a local construction conglomerate– the newest step in an argument over impact fees that stretches back to 1999. The latest dispute centers around what should happen with $211,000. That’s what’s left over from a $5 million settlement the city agreed to pay back in 2005. But going back further, in 1999 the …

Impact fee reduction seen as positive step
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL – June 16, 2011
The Lee County Commission vote to lower road impact fees across the board Tuesday night during a public hearing in Fort Myers has been greeted as a positive step by officials and industry leaders alike.  The proposed ordinance reduced road impact fees from about 14 percent to about 46 percent depending on the category, consolidated medical office into the general office category and created a category for high-cube warehouse.

County sets meeting to discuss impact fee zone for Odenton
Odenton Patch, MD – June 16, 2011
Business and community leaders will meet with Anne Arundel County officials later this month to discuss the creation of a special impact fee district that would funnel money toward road and infrastructure improvements in Odenton. … the goal is to see more money raised from fees on developers spent on upgrades right in town.

Town to reimburse $800,000 in road impact fees
coloradoan.com, CO – June 15, 2011
Four developers are getting a windfall in road impact fee reimbursements from the Town of Windsor.  In keeping with its desire to pay down debt quickly, the Windsor Town Board approved a resolution …

Avon Park closer to waiving utility impact fee increases
Highlands Today, FL – June 15, 2011
The city hopes to spur the opening of new businesses in existing buildings by waiving increases in impact fees for developers, changing the use of existing water and sewer connections. By a unanimous vote, the city council approved the first reading of an ordinance that would waive any increase in water and sewer capacity impact fees charged when a new business moves into an existing structure.

Local customers get unwelcome surprise from new drainage fee
Your Houston News, TX – June 15, 2011
In a heated and close election last November, Houston voters narrowly approved a referendum calling for a new drainage impact fee as part of a two-decade, $8 billion “pay-as-you-go” infrastructure program. In April, City Council overwhelmingly approved an ordinance implementing the program, now called “Rebuild Houston.” During both the referendum election …

Town’s spotlight shines on impact-fee reductions
Belgrade News, MT – June 14, 2011
Impact fees are back in the spotlight of the Manhattan Town Council and local officials are considering reducing them as a way to spur growth.  As it stands, Manhattan has the second highest municipal impact fees in the Gallatin Valley, just behind Bozeman at $8,088 per lot, according to the council.

Arthrex scraps request for business incentives, opting for impact fee relief
naplesnews.com, FL – June 13, 2011
Arthrex Inc. doesn’t want to get held up by politics for expansion projects in Ave Maria and North Naples.  That’s why the medical device manufacturing company has decided to drop its request to take part in Collier County’s property tax stimulus program and pursue approval for the impact fee assistance program.

Pasco schools seek developer impact fee
The News Tribune, WA – June 13, 2011
The district already has asked the city and county to adopt an impact fee of $6,012 per single-family home and $5,572 per apartment unit.  But Pasco City Council members and Franklin County commissioners haven’t agreed yet.  Mitigation fees can be requested when projects go through the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and platting process. …

Impact fee amendment called ‘useless’
Access North Georgia, GA – June 10, 2011
Hall County Commissioners Thursday narrowly passed an amendment to the county’s impact fee ordinance over objections from Commissioner Craig Lutz who said it was useless and wanted it voted down or at least tabled. Homebuilders wanted a moratorium on the fees; the amendment allows builders to pay the fees when they apply for a building permit or when it’s time to get …

Manatee County impact fees to change dramatically
Bradenton Times, FL – June 10, 2011
What’s happened with Young’s new methodology is nothing short of transformative, however. Computer databases have allowed planners to pinpoint with much greater accuracy the actual usage of police, EMS, park and road uses and provide pinpoint accuracy – even down to the number of ambulance, fire or patrol responses to a given address. Young assembled a large …

Ohio Supreme Court listens to local impact fee case
Dayton Daily News, OH – June 8, 2011
Justices on the Ohio Supreme Court peppered attorneys Wednesday with questions about Hamilton Twp.’s impact fees. The state’s highest court will decide if the fees are legal or an improper tax. The fastest growing township in Warren County instituted impact fees in May 2007 to deal with the large growth it was receiving in new homes.

Meeting set on county impact fees
Visalia Times-Delta, CA – June 7, 2011
The Tulare County Resource Management Agency will put on a public workshop Friday to get input on a pair of studies on the need for the county to charge impact fees for new developments.  While the eight cities in the county already charge impact fees, it would be the first time that they are charged by the county if the Board of Supervisors approves them.

Frederick County moves forward on school mitigation fee
Frederick News Post, MD – June 4, 2011
The new ordinance would allow developers the opportunity to pay a fee if they want to build in areas with overcrowded schools. Under the current Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, developers must either wait until schools are no longer overcrowded or build an addition or new school before building more houses.

Surprise OK of impact-fee collection faces challenge
The Arizona Republic, AZ – June 3, 2011
Surprise City Council members maneuvered their way through a new state law this week and declared their intent to continue collecting certain developer fees. The money will be used to pay off debts that city officials said Surprise incurred to meet the demands of the recent building boom. The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona sent an attorney to Tuesday’s …

Hiller’s suggestion to suspend Collier impact fees shot down
Naples Daily News, FL – May 24, 2011
Collier Commissioner Georgia Hiller called this afternoon for a moratorium on charging developers impact fees to pay for growth. The suggestion, roundly rejected by other commissioners, came during a related vote to add new categories of development to the county’s impact fee law. Commissioners said the county needed to keep charging impact fees, which pay for items like roads and parks, to encourage … …

Xchange gives $1M to expand firehouse; mayor mulls new school
The Hudson Reporter, NY – May 22, 2011
The town plans to break ground this year on an expansion for the Washington Hook and Ladder Company on County Avenue. Much of the cost of this expansion – $1.1 million – has been donated to the town by the developers of the Xchange at Secaucus Junction housing complex in the south end of town.

Spanish Fork OKs impact fees for fire stations
Salt Lake Tribune, UT – May 19, 2011
Spanish Fork • In the future, new residents will have to pay for the fire protection they will require. The City Council unanimously authorized the city Tuesday to collect a public-safety impact fee. The fee would be used to pay for additional fire stations that would be built as the population grows. “If our growth continues,

Impact fee cuts possible
Northwest Herald, IL – May 19, 2011
City Council members continue to grapple with a proposed annexation agreement with local developers seeking a 50 percent reduction in the city’s impact fees. At Thursday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting, local school district leaders cautioned the city against the proposed reduction of impact fees. …

County should rethink need for new road-funding task force
Orlando Sentinel, FL – May 13, 2011
Creating another “task force” to find money for road building and repair in Lake County is just a form of game-playing to “take us to the next election cycle,” a former member of the county’s Impact Fee Committee fussed after Sunday’s column about a new task force. Virgil Clark, who represented south Lake, said the

Gilbert projects in jeopardy due to impact-fee limits
Arizona Republic, AZ – May 12, 2011
Gilbert could lose a primary funding source for several major parks projects because new state legislation limits impact fees charged to homebuilders to help pay for growth-related infrastructure. A new riparian preserve, two aquatic centers and two large parks in Gilbert’s Capital Improvement Plan were expected …

No linkage fee relief in sight
Gunnison Country Times, CO – May 12, 2011
For a group of contractors and one County Commissioner, it seemed like a reasonable proposal: To take a temporary time-out from Gunnison County’s workforce linkage fee to help spur building activity. But Gunnison County’s two Democratic Commissioners, who enacted the controversial affordable housing …

Plan for more units at Cranford’s Riverfront draws $756000 fee
Cranford Chronicle, NJ – May 10, 2011
A plan to allow the developer of the Riverfront Redevelopment Project to construct an additional 18 units at the site in exchange for an impact fee has drawn criticism from two former mayors, both of whom worked on the deal that set the parameters for the project. …

Hall board votes to delay collection of impact fees
Gainesville Times, GA – May 9, 2011
Hall County is changing the process for collecting impact fees. The Board of Commissioners decided Monday to revise the impact fee ordinance, which would change the timeline for paying the fee. Instead of paying at the beginning of the construction process …

Impact-fee law restricts ability to expand parks
AZ Central.com, AZ – May 9, 2011
Once all of the public-safety responsibilities are funded, parks are one of the most important services and amenities the town of Gilbert provides to its residents. For proof of this, just drive by any of our parks in the evening or on Saturdays, Sundays and …

Cedar Lake will have to wait a year to collect fees to grow parks
Post-Tribune – May 9, 2011
The impact fee is determined by a formula that establishes the current open space and level of service against where the town should be for open space and service compared to other communities of its size. The resulting information is the deficiency, …

City considers extending fee waivers
Daily Commercial, FL – May 9, 2011
City leaders will consider extending a one-year waiver on impact fees, up to $100,000 for all projects within the city limits. They hope the extension accelerates economic development and the construction of businesses and homes. The first reading for the …

Impact-fee bill could stall Chandler improvements
Arizona Republic, AZ – May 8, 2011
The future of promised parks and improved roads in newer parts of Chandler is in question as city leaders grapple with legislation that restricts how they can collect and spend development-impact fees. But things could have been worse, they agree. Earlier …

Closing the Proffer Loophole?
Mount Vernon Gazette, VA – May 7, 2011
The next time a line of cars snarls traffic on Richmond Highway, consider the humble impact fee. It’s a way that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors could have forced Wal-Mart to pay for a left turn lane that would have eased the massive gridlock that’s …

Impact fee rules to have little effect on Cottonwood
Verde Independent, AZ – May 4, 2011
New legislation limits the free hand cities and towns in Arizona have had to impose impact fees. The law, patterned after a conservative Texas law, takes away what has been an almost unregulated discretion about what to charge and how much. Impact fees …

Homebuilders hail law easing impact fees
AZ Central.com, AZ – May 3, 2011
Cities and towns across Arizona will have a harder time requiring developers to pay for everything from infrastructure to services under legislation signed by Gov. Jan Brewer. The legislation, Senate Bill 1525, puts a temporary end to a six-year fight between …

New state law sharply limits impact fees
Payson Roundup, AZ – May 3, 2011
Payson may face major budget problems in coming up with the money for water facilities, parks and police under the terms of a legislative crackdown on impact fees signed into law last week. Gov. Jan Brewer last week signed SB 1525, which imposes tough …

County ups road upgrade fee
Leavenworth Times, KS – May 3, 2011
The Leavenworth County Commission voted Monday to increase the amount some property owners pay to improve local roads when they apply for a building permit. According to Jeff Joseph, county director of planning and zoning, the road impact fee has been increased by $250 each year since 1999 in order to recoup …

Impact fee law’s impact uncertain
Kingman Daily Miner, AZ – May 2, 2011
Legislation signed by Gov. Jan Brewer Tuesday that limits the ability of cities to assess impact fees looks like a victory for local homebuilders, but the jury is still out. The law, which will take effect Dec. 31, makes it so cities must come up with specific plans that outline needed improvements for new subdivisions before assessing fees. Rules that allow cities to charge impact fees for new police and fire stations as well as …

Limits on impact fees could lead to higher taxes for residents
Ahwatukee Foothills News, AZ – April 30, 2011
A sweeping change to Arizona’s impact fees on new houses should mean homebuyers will see their money put to use faster, but critics warn communities could have to hike taxes on existing residents. Some of the reforms will take effect as late as 2014 and will …

New law restricts impact fees on new homes
Prescott Daily Courier, AZ – April 30, 2011
A new law governing municipal impact fees will force Prescott and Prescott Valley to place fees on commercial and industrial construction. Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law last week, and all the members of the Legislature representing Yavapai County …

Hall County Commission strikes deal on impact fees
Gainesville Times, GA – April 30, 2011
The Hall County Board of Commissioners decided Thursday to defer impact fee collection until a certificate of occupancy is issued for a building. After commissioners listened to a presentation on Hall County’s history of impact fees and heard comments from residents, they decided to strike a compromise between placing a moratorium on impact fees through December 2012 and leaving them alone. …

CS Council Rejects New Home Impact Fees
WTAW, TX – April 29, 2011
Homebuilders and buyers in College Station won’t be facing new impact fees to pay for water and wastewater lines associated with new home construction. The city council voted 4-2 Thursday against adding $3,000 to pay in advance for new water and wastewater …

Tulare County may add fees to city projects
Visalia Times-Delta, CA – April 28, 2011
Tulare County officials are preparing to raise the cost of building new homes and businesses, and it won’t matter where in the county they’re built. That’s because officials not only want to charge development impact fees for new construction in …

Levy or Labor? Tehama County impact fee debate renewed
Contra Costa Times, CA – April 28, 2011
Discussion about Development Impact Fees was resurrected at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, as contentious comments filtered into an informational presentation. This month marks the end of a six-month program hiatus that began in October. …

Transportation impact fee incentive suggested
Culpeper Star Exponent, VA – April 28, 2011
Culpeper County Supervisor Larry Aylor has an alternative to delaying for a year the implementation of transportation impact fees — a financial incentive to encourage businesses to come anyway. Aylor introduced the idea to the town-county interaction committee at Wednesday evening’s meeting, the committee’s first gathering in eight months. He brought the idea forward as an informational item …

Bloomingdale officials abolish impact fees
Savannah Morning News, GA – April 27, 2011
It costs a lot less to build in Bloomingdale this week than it did last week. In an effort to combat stagnant growth in the far-west Chatham County municipality, Bloomingdale City Council voted April 21 to do away with impact fees. “It was a growth-killer,” …

If you want to spend it, raise it
Visalia Times-Delta, CA – April 27, 2011
Once upon a time, we paid taxes to local governments and, in exchange, local governments provided services. County supervisors and members of the city council levied taxes. It was all open and public, and the meetings where tax rates were set were the most heavily attended of the year. . … …

Brewer signs bill limiting development impact feesý
East Valley Tribune , AZ – April 26, 2011
Arizona cities are going to lose some of their powers to assess fees on new developments. Legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Jan Brewer will require cities to come up with very specific plans of improvements they say will be needed because of new subdivisions …

New Port Richey Mulls County Mobility Fee System
Patch.com, FL – April 25, 2011
On paper, it’s 34 pages of cement-dense drudgery, but somewhere within the engineer-speak and legalese of Pasco County’s proposed mobility fee program there are promises of substantial savings for new home builders within the city of New Port Richey. …

Schools chief should step up to the plate
Tampabay.com, FL – April 24, 2011
There is a Louisville Slugger baseball bat sitting in the office of the Pasco school superintendent. The handle is adorned in pink, and it is personalized with the name of its owner — Heather Fiorentino. You have to wonder if it has been swung a few times over the …

Cutting impact fees not right idea
Tbo.com, FL – April 17, 2011
At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the government center in New Port Richey the Pasco County Commission will vote on reducing impact fees. This includes impact fees collected by the county, but also those collected for the Pasco County School Board specifically to pay …

Impact fee cuts the answer?
Tampabay.com,FL – April 16, 2011
Pasco County commissioners are poised this week to cut special fees on new homes that help pay for schools, after already slashing similar fees for roads and other services. They say the temporary cuts will help revive a moribund home building industry. But there’s a …

Browbeating misses the point in debate over impact fee
Tampabay.com, FL – April 16, 2011
The push to stimulate the Pasco economy has turned into an embarrassing shove from members of the building community intent on bullying elected school district officials into kowtowing to an impact fee reduction. In a series of rhetoric-escalating e-mails, …

Hall Commission hears call for impact fee moratorium
Access North Georgia, GA – April 16, 2011
President of the Hall County Home Builders Association Carl Williams called on county commissioners Thursday to impose a moratorium on impact fees. Williams said he’s seen signs of recovery, but the home builders need all the help they can get when it comes …

Impact fee cuts would hurt crowded schools
Tampabay.com – April 14, 2011
Supporters of a plan to halve the fee assessed on new homes to help pay for school construction contend the debate has been muddied by misinformation about school district spending, building plans, employment, state budget cuts and emotional pleas of hurting …

Housing impact fee waivers scaled down
Examiner.com – April 13, 2011
Business builders that create jobs will have to pay for increasing the workforce where there is not enough housing available. The city council decided Tuesday, April 12 to limit waiver applications to industrial and medical developers. The waivers end for retail …

Effingham commissioners reduce impact fees
Savannah Morning News, GA – April 10, 2011
Construction in Effingham County may have gotten a boost when commissioners agreed last week to eliminate some impact fees. The portion of impact fees collected in the county for parks, public safety and recreation will drop to zero for all types of new building, …

Impact fee suit may not be over
Annapolis Capital, MD – April 8, 2011
The attorneys representing homeowners in a decade-long lawsuit over impact fees have contested last month’s ruling, arguing residents are due dramatically more money from the county government. Attorney John R. Greiber Jr. asked Circuit Court …

Rifts remain as Houston Council passes ‘pay-as-you-go’ program
Cypress Sun News, TX – April 8, 2011
Following a marathon session voting on several proposed amendments, Houston City Council overwhelmingly passed an ordinance Wednesday implementing a “pay-as-you-go” street and drainage improvements program. But that doesn’t mean the …

Impact-fee measure costly, burdensome
Arizona Republic, AZ – April 8, 2011
A March 11 front-page story in The Arizona Republic featured a bold, truth-telling headline: “Census data: Arizona overbuilt during housing boom.” The article highlights that communities around Arizona are still grappling with the impacts stemming from enormous …

Developers to see higher impact fees in Pine
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA – April 7, 2011
Pine supervisors Monday approved an ordinance that raises the fees under the Transportation Improvement Program from $948 to $1,300.  Commonly known as an impact fee, the charge is paid by developers for each morning and evening car trip generated by the proposed …

Teachers hope to rally opposition to fee cuts
MyFox Tampa Bay, FL – April 7, 2011
Teachers understand pressure. Imagine standing in front of a group of eight graders preparing for a major algebra exam. Teachers in Pasco County say they face the pressure of getting the public to understand the complex issue of impact fees in less than two …

Pasco commission reverts to costly ways
Tbo.com, FL – April 7, 2011
Lest anyone had any doubt who controls Pasco County government, it was made clear Tuesday when county commissioners agreed to reduce the impact fee that helps fund construction of new schools. Commissioners fell for the development industry’s tired old song- …

Culpeper may delay traffic-impact fees
The Free Lance-Star, VA – April 6, 2011
Developers in Culpeper may get a one-year reprieve on a traffic-impact fee. The county Board of Supervisors yesterday voted 5-2 to possibly hold off implementing enforcement of the impact-fee ordinance for another year. Passed last fall, the ordinance was …

Why is Pasco putting roads before children?
Tampabay.com, FL – April 6, 2011
Pasco commissioners are more concerned about motorists than schoolchildren. As a result, they are preparing to cut by half the education impact fee assessed on new residential construction while finding new revenue to pay for transportation. It’s an imbalance …

Impact fee cut means teacher layoffs
MyFox Tampa Bay, FL – April 5, 2011
A plan to create hundreds of new jobs in Pasco County’s beleaguered homebuilding business could cost hundreds of people in the school district their jobs, teachers included. That is the dilemma facing Pasco County Commissioners. “We have to be Solomon for …

Redding to freeze fees
Record-Searchlight, CA – April 5, 2011
Redding will freeze building and impact fees for a year or two to take some pressure off the recession-hammered construction trades. The City Council this evening agreed to roll back a 4.2-percent fee hike that kicked in Jan. 15 and keep fees at that level for at least …

Hagerstown City Council reluctant to waive 2004 road impact fee
The Herald-Mail, MD – April 5, 2011
The Hagerstown City Council Tuesday night was reluctant to waive a 2004 road impact fee without revisiting the intent of its creation. Representatives of three properties off Eastern Boulevard asked the council to waive its Eastern Boulevard road assessment fee, …

Council inches forward on city of Williams impact fee evaluation
Williams Grand Canyon News, AZ – April 5, 2011
Restructuring impact fees isn’t an overnight process. At a Williams City Council work session held March 31, city of Williams Finance Director Joe Duffy set out a timeline to evaluate and change impact fees that won’t likely be completed until sometime in early 2012. …

Homebuilders to appeal fee ruling
Charleston Post Courier, SC – April 4, 2011
Suburban Dorchester County families will continue to wait for relief from crowded schools while a lawsuit over a creative way to help pay for new buildings wends its way through the courts. A circuit judge last week dismissed a lawsuit brought by two homebuilder …

County Leaders Set To Discuss School Budget Concerns
Patch.com, FL – April 4, 2011
Pasco County School Board members and County Commissioners will sit down today, April 4, to address a proposal that would reduce or eliminate impact fees that help fund school construction. On one side of the issue are school board members who say the district is …

Pasco commissioners consider cutting impact fees over School Board’s protests
Tampabay.com, FL – April 4, 2011
Pasco County commissioners are poised to reduce the fee on new homes that helps pay for school construction, even as they heard Monday from School Board members who said such cuts could lead to layoffs for more school employees. The push to reduce so-called …

Mary Machado: Fee freeze would spur building and jobs
Record-Searchlight, CA – April 3, 2011
At Tuesday’s Redding City Council meeting, Jerry Wagar, president of Ochoa and Shehan Builders, and I will present a proposal to eliminate the annual inflationary increases being applied to building and development impact fees. Why? Let me explain. Our local economy…

Freeze fees, group to ask
Record-Searchlight, CA – April 2, 2011
Construction industry advocates will lobby the Redding City Council for a five-year fee freeze meant to revive the building trades — or at least stop the bleeding. The council on Tuesday will consider a proposal from Mary Machado and Jerry Wagar to cap fees and …

Fees having bad ‘Impact’ on economy?
Morgan County Citizen, GA – April 1, 2011
Business leaders, manufacturers and builders called for an end to the city of Madison impact fees Monday night.  At the Madison City Council regular meeting, the council heard criticism toward the fees with several citizens charging that the fees were bad for business …

Impact fee for Washington Township Boulevard revisited
Waynesboro Record Herald, PA – March 31, 2011
Washington Township Supervisors discussed two options provided by Chad Dixon of Traffic Planning and Design Inc. to lower the current impact fee of $3,147 at Wednesday’s workshop. Supervisors are leaning towards the option of terminating the township’s …

School Board agrees to suspend impact fees
Daily Commercial, FL – March 30, 2011
Any homes added to Lake County between this Friday and the end of September will not include thousands of dollars in impact fees. At Monday night’s regular meeting, the Lake County School Board unanimously approved a recommendation that the county …

Washington Twp. eyes change in traffic impact fees
The Herald-Mail, PA – March 30, 2011
The Washington Township Supervisors are thinking about replacing their traffic impact fees to accommodate a scaled-back plan for a relief route designed north of Waynesboro. On Wednesday, the supervisors discussed throwing out their current ordinance, …

City Deliberates Its Options for New Affordable Housing Units
Daily Californian, CA – March 29, 2011
As the city of Berkeley plans to raise money for new affordable housing units by charging a fee on all market development, an in lieu option of providing low-income units on-site appears to be a more feasible solution to provide the housing. At its Feb. 15 meeting, …

Orange leaders agree to cut impact fees by 25%
Orlando Sentinel, FL – March 29, 2011
Orange County leaders agreed in principle Tuesday to cut growth impact fees by 25 percent because of a drop in construction costs during the recession. Developers wanted deep cuts in the fees the government charges to offset costs that new businesses …

Orange Co. Commissioner Wants To Cut Impact Fees
WFTV Orlando, FL – March 29, 2011
An Orange County commissioner with major ties to the construction industry is now pushing a plan that would help developers. He wants to cut construction impact fees. Commissioners started talking about the issue late Tuesday afternoon. They just decided …

Opinion: Impact-fee bill has many consequences
Arizona Republic, AZ – March 28, 2011
Southeast Valley mayors are right to be concerned about how they will pay for new infrastructure if Senate Bill 1525 passes. The bill, whose primary sponsor is Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, targets impact fees, which go to building streets, water and …

Lawmaker: Cities, builders in standoff over impact fees
Arizona Republic, AZ – March 28, 2011
A contentious impact fee bill making its way through the Legislature has generated a high-stakes standoff between cities and home builders, said House Speaker Kirk Adams, a Mesa Republican. He and other southeast Valley lawmakers are pushing for a compromise …

Could businesses support tax? Maybe
Tampabay.com, FL – March 27, 2011
For a guy starting his 30th year on the job, Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher doesn’t look in the rearview mirror too often. The road lies straight ahead and the task is figuring out how to pay for it. And how to get fewer people to use it every morning as …

Marcellus impact fee proposal in the works
Tribune Review, PA – March 26, 2011
Republican senators will introduce legislation to impose a fee on Marcellus shale drillers in a few weeks, in an effort to offset costs municipalities experience dealing with the growing natural gas industry, a top Senate staffer said on Friday. Senate President …

Dist. 2 impact fee suit tossed
Charleston Post Courier, SC – March 26, 2011
Since 2009, the growing Dorchester District 2 has been collecting $2,500 for school construction for each new home built. It has collected nearly $2 million so far from the school impact fee. But district leaders have been unwilling to spend the money until they …

Effingham loses court battle with developer
Savannah Morning News, GA – March 25, 2011
The Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled Effingham County’s water and sewer agreements are in violation of state law in an affirmation of a lower court ruling. In a decision released late Wednesday, the Court of Appeals agreed with Superior Court Chief Judge …

Buck stops with town council
Payson Roundup, UT – March 25, 2011
The Payson Town Council last week approved an overhaul of its system for giving various groups a break on town fees. Previously, many town employees had the power to waive town fees — mostly for charitable groups staging events that make use of public …

First reading for new, higher Franklin road fees approved
The Tennessean, TN – March 24, 2011
The first hurdle to creating new, steeper fees that developers must pay the city as part of building new construction projects has cleared. City aldermen voted 6-0 on the first of two readings to adopt a new city road impact fee schedule that would raise developers’ …

Taking a stand for heritage
Charleston Post Courier, SC – March 24, 2011
Mount Pleasant Town Council’s Economic Development Committee is working on a plan that would encourage new commercial developments to annex into town and preserve the area’s heritage. Committee members recently discussed recommending a new …

GWA Audit Finds Increased Operating Expenses Offset by Increased Revenues
Pacific News Center – March 23, 2011
Water losses and faulty meters continue to be problems for the Guam Waterworks Authority but at least revenues are now outpacing increases in operating expenses. Those are among the findings in the latest audit released today [Wednesday] by the Office of …

Corbett will listen to gas drilling impact fee ideas
Pocono Record, PA – March 23, 2011
Gov. Tom Corbett said Wednesday that he’s not opposed to proposals that would allow communities or counties to impose fees to deal with the impact from Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry, despite his continuing opposition to a new tax on the industry …

Hebron considers impact fee removal
Northwest Herald, IL – March 23, 2011
Representatives from Alden-Hebron School District 19, the largest recipient of the fees, attended the meeting Monday to gather information, but Superintendent Debbie Ehlenburg had not formed an opinion about the temporary elimination. “I will be interested …

Lehi settles with builders on impact fees
Daily Herald, UT – March 23, 2011
Lehi City council members unanimously agreed Tuesday to give back more than $1 million in past impact fees, settling out of court with the Utah Valley Home Builders Association and Ivory Homes. “It’s a good compromise and allows the city to move forward in a …

Pasco school district says more, not less impact fees needed
Tbo.com, FL – March 22, 2011
The Pasco County School Board has a decidedly different take on the county commission’s proposal to eliminate or reduce the school impact fee on new residential construction. From the school board’s perspective, the impact fee already is about half what it should …

Ketchum curbs impact-fee increase
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide – March 22, 2011
New homes built in Ketchum will now have to pay $14,000 in impact fees, a $1,400 increase. While residential impact fees have increased 11 percent, commercial fees increased 2 percent, equating to $12,100 for a 3,000-square-foot building. Impact fees are one-time …

Pasco School District Bracing for ‘Perfect Storm’
Patch.com – March 22, 2011
Financial consultant Carson Bise told Pasco County School Board members a proposal by the county commission to reduce or eliminate school impact fees isn’t a good idea. “The county has been subsidizing new development for the last six years,” said Bise, the …

Commission slashes new home fees
Tampabay.com, FL – March 22, 2011
County commissioners voted Tuesday to temporarily slash several fees on new homes that pay for a range of amenities – parks, libraries, fire stations and hurricane shelters – to serve a growing population. Those so-called “impact fees” would be nearly …

Ferndale may revise transportation fees paid by builders
TheNewsTribune.com, WA – March 21, 2011
The city is considering an ordinance that would make transportation impact fees more predictable, but potentially more expensive, for builders. Ferndale City Council will have a study session and public hearing on the fee revision Monday, March 21. The proposed …

Consultant warns against cutting Pasco school impact fees
Tampabay.com, FL – March 21, 2011
To fight a proposal to cut school impact fees in half, the Pasco County School Board turned to the County Commission’s impact fee expert for advice. He gave them some strong ammunition on Monday to bolster their effort. Other communities that have decreased …

Gilbert officials worried about impact-fees proposal
Arizona Republic, AZ – March 19, 2011
A bill currently making its way through the state Legislature could give Gilbert officials a reason to push the panic button and leave them scrambling to replace millions of dollars needed for vital infrastructure. Senate Bill 1525, which already won Senate …

Council mulls impact fee options
Bonner County Daily Bee, ID – March 18, 2011
Before restructuring the impact fee system, the City Council spent Wednesday’s meeting getting some expert advise on the subject. Impact fee expert Carson Bise outlined the various approaches that the city officials can take when retooling the system to …

Impact fee battle – a Mesa case study
Arizona Republic, AZ – March 17, 2011
Right now, Lehi Crossing is more than 290 acres of bare dirt being pierced by heavy machines in preparation for utilities, streets and, eventually, 914 homes. In a few months, the first moving van will arrive. The minute it does, the new residents will need …

Parks and Rec:City should hold impact-fee study
Polaskinews.net, AR – March 17, 2011
Sherwood’s Parks and Recreation Committee voted Monday in favor of recommending to the City Council that an impact-fee study be conducted in the city. The committee met Monday at the Bill Harmon Recreation Center, 51 Shelby Road. Sonny Janssen, director of …

Atherton council rejects settlement of road fee lawsuit
San Jose Mercury News, CA – March 17, 2011
The Atherton City Council has rejected the proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed last August by a local developer who contends the town illegally charged $298,000 in road impact fees. As a result, the town could end up fighting the suit in court. “We remain confident …

City Council votes to take School Board to court over disputed fees
Ocala, FL – March 16, 2011
By a 3-1 vote Tuesday, the Ocala City Council agreed to take the Marion County School Board to court in an attempt to collect $462,000 in Fire Service User Fees the city says it is owed. Councilman Kent Guinn was the dissenting vote. Councilman John …

Hearing set for April 12 on new transportation fee
Gainesville Sun, FL – March 15, 2011
The last piece of Alachua County’s plan to link future growth and transportation planning together with policies that push for mixed-use developments, a bus rapid transit system and bicycle/pedestrian paths moved ahead Tuesday. At the end of a nearly 4½-…

Seabrook impact fee proposal remains defeated after recount
York Weekly, PA – March 15, 2011
A recount held Friday afternoon on town warrant Article 7 resulted in a slight change in numbers, but it did not affect the outcome, according to Town Clerk Bonnie Fowler. The recount was requested and paid for by Albert “Max” Abramson, one of the sponsors of …

Board questions fee proposal
Tbo.com, FL – March 14, 2011
Pasco County School Board members have plenty of questions about a county commission proposal to cut or eliminate an impact fee on new construction, a fee that helps pay to build schools.Among other things, board members want to know how much money the county …

Dueling audit ideas for impact fees, engineering
Lincoln Journal Star, NE – March 13, 2011
For several years, the city’s volunteer audit advisory board had nothing to do. Now it looks like they could have two jobs at the same time. Several weeks ago, the city council and mayor told the group of appointed lay people to look at the operations of StarTran, the …

Warren County’s growth brings lots of challenges
Dayton Daily News, OH – March 13, 2011
Officials in the fastest growing county in southwest Ohio say exponential growth can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the 2010 Census shows Warren County grew by 34.4 percent over the past decade to 212,693 residents. The growth has changed …

Cascade County commissioners considering wind farm impact fees
Great Falls Tribune, MT – March 12, 2011
Cascade County commissioners say they plan to continue studying the idea of imposing fees on small wind farm developments despite arguments against such a plan by a wind energy developer. The Great Falls Tribune reports that commissioners met Friday to discuss …

City’s new tax district would help pay for bike projects
BikePortland.org, OR – March 11, 2011
Next month, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation hopes to bring a plan to City Council that would create a new “Transportation System Development Charge (TSDC) Overlay District.” TSDCs are taxes levied on real estate developers that are calculated based …

Pasco Schools Stand To Lose More Funding
Patch.com, FL – March 11, 2011
Already wrangling with an estimated $60 million budget cut for next year, Pasco County Board members must now face the possibility of seeing their dollars dwindle even more. A proposal to reduce or eliminate school impact fees is on the drawing board with the …

City strives to boost growth; Red Bluff offers deferral on project fees
Record-Searchlight, CA – March 11, 2011
The city has declared a new holiday. In an effort to kick-start the local economy and boost jobs, Red Bluff has launched a yearlong suspension and deferral program for development impact fees. “I am thrilled,” City Councilman Wayne Brown said Thursday. The council …

Fee deferral an option for Ferndale home builders
Bellingham Herald, WA – March 10, 2011
Developers in Ferndale will have the chance to defer paying some fees to the city starting April 1. During its meeting Monday, March 7, Ferndale City Council unanimously approved a proposal that would allow builders and developers the option to defer some impact …

Committee says DOD should pay some of the costs of transportation near bases
MIT News – March 9, 2011
MIT Professor Joseph Sussman recently chaired a congressionally mandated committee that released a report Feb. 7 calling for the Pentagon to pay some of the cost of new transportation infrastructure needed to mitigate the relocation of tens of thousands of military …

Pasco school district questioning county’s idea to slash impact fees
Tbo.com, FL – March 9, 2011
Pasco County School Board members have plenty of questions about a county commission proposal to cut or eliminate an impact fee on new construction that helps pay to build schools. Among other things, board members want to know how much money the county has …

Ketchum may curb impact-fee increase
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, ID – March 9, 2011
Raising Ketchum’s development-impact fees by 26 percent for new residences and 12 percent for new commercial buildings seems to be too much, City Councilman Larry Helzel said Monday. He advocated a compromise to the City Council and public. Impact fees are …

MATT TOWERY: We must cut local builders’ fees
Bakersfield Californian, CA – March 9, 2011
I am weary of the spin and the political posturing that has taken place regarding the traffic impact fees on new homes that were doubled 18 months ago. Homebuilding permits have dropped to their lowest levels since the 1940s. Bakersfield’s already high …

Pasco School Board wary of impact fee cuts
Tampabay.com, FL – March 8, 2011
A proposal to slash education impact fees on new home construction is creating tension between two of Pasco County’s largest employee bases: Home builders. And the school system. “We just want to get back up to being competitive and putting people to work,” Mike …

State bill could force hike in tax, water for Surprise residents
Arizona Republic, AZ – March 7, 2011
If state lawmakers approve a bill limiting cities’ ability to collect development fees, Surprise residents could be forced to pay higher taxes and water rates. Surprise has more than $285 million in outstanding debts and obligations that it’s relying on future …

St. Johns Raises Impact Fees on Residential Construction, Decreases Them on …
FlaglerLive.com – March 6, 2011
The St. Johns County Commission last week raised impact fees on residential construction between 13.5 and 16.5 percent, depending on square footage. The county lowered impact fees on commercial and industrial construction. For houses smaller than 1,800 square …

Montrose may suspend residential growth impact fees
KKCO-TV – March 6, 2011
Montrose could suspend the County’s residential growth impact fees. On Monday, the Commissioners will discuss the latest proposal created to offset the declining economy. The fee suspension would have no impact on the County’s budget because no projects have …

Collections on impact fees dwindling
Cherokee Tribune, GA – March 5, 2011
Impact fee collections in Cherokee County have declined dramatically, leading some jurisdictions to use other funds to pay for projects. The fees are collected from the builders of new development in unincorporated Cherokee and the cities of Canton and Woodstock …

City moves toward impact fees
Laconia Citizen – March 5, 2011
Years in the works, the city is inching closer toward implementing impact fees for new construction. City Planner Shanna Saunders earlier this week updated the city council on some fine-tuning that she and the planning board had done on an impact fee proposal …

Impact fees meeting delayed
Tbo.com – March 4, 2011
A joint meeting of the Pasco County Commission and the school board, scheduled for Tuesday, is being postponed so that officials from municipalities can be invited and will have time to prepare. The meeting was planned after the county commission began …

Red Bluff fee suspension aims to bring development, jobs
Red Bluff Daily News, CA – March 3, 2011
Today marks a new year-long celebration of growth and development in the city of Red Bluff. With the implementation of the Development Impact Fee Suspension and Deferral Holiday, which commences at 8:01 a.m. today, they City Council is hoping people will be lining…

Kent City Council approves transportation impact fee changes
PNW Local News, WA – March 2, 2011
Kent business leaders came away pleased Tuesday with changes the Kent City Council unanimously adopted to its transportation-impact fees – especially a controversial part of the previous ordinance that would have automatically bumped the fees up every year for the …

Developer fee fight resurfaces in downturn
Bakersfield Californian, CA – March 2, 2011
Call it the controversy that won’t die. Homebuilders are once again asking the city of Bakersfield to reduce traffic impact fees while the market is tough. City staffers strongly oppose the idea, but a City Council committee will nevertheless consider it on Thursday. …

County amends impact fees, some lowered
Tampa Bay Newspapers, FL – March 2, 2011
Pinellas County Commissioners unanimously approved an amendment Feb. 22 that changes transportation impact fees for seven land use categories. Fees will be reduced for development projects involving condominiums, warehousing, hotels, sit-down restaurants, …

Impact fee waiver approved by council
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL – March 1, 2011
A change of use impact fee waiver was unanimously approved by the Cape Coral City Council Monday night, a move the board hopes will spark some much needed economic development and fill the thousands of square feet of empty commercial space throughout …

Housing impact fees could pay for Pasco schools
Seattle Times, WA – March 1, 2011
The Pasco School District would like home builders to pay an impact fee to help pay for schools. KEPR reports it could add $6,000 to the cost of a building permit. Builders such as Ron Olin of Olin Homes say it would amount to a tax without a public vote. The district says …

Pasco looks at school impact fee for building
TheNewsTribune.com, WA – March 1, 2011
Finding a solution to Pasco’s overflowing schools may be the city’s and school district’s greatest challenge yet. That’s what Councilman Al Yenney said as the council discussed the district’s request for a school impact fee Monday. The district has struggled to keep up …

County may adjust impact fees
St. Augustine Record, FL – February 28, 2011
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to adopt an updated impact fee schedule that lowers nonresidential impact fees about 50 percent on average, according to county records. The Board of County Commissioners is expected …

Surprise’s plan to repay $73 million could stall
Arizona Republic, AZ – February 28, 2011
Surprise’s plan to repay nearly $73 million that was misallocated to build City Hall and other projects could be hitting a snag at the Legislature.Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is sponsoring a bill that would limit the ability of Arizona cities to collect …

Cape Coral council passes road impact fee waiver
The News-Press, FL – February 28, 2011
A waiver allowing some businesses to dodge a road impact fee when they move into a building was approved tonight by the Cape Coral City Council. The vote allows the to waive the difference in transportation impact fees when the business use of a building …

Portage park impact fee to be updated
nwitimes.com, IN – February 27, 2011
The Portage Park Board this week approved a contract with Lehman & Lehman of Mishawaka to update the department’s recreational impact fee. Chuck Lehman, president of the firm, which was involved in establishing the department’s impact fee five years ago, told …

County approves impact fees
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID – February 26, 2011
Four years of hearings, discussions and calculations finally paid off. Following a public hearing on Friday, the Kootenai County commissioners voted unanimously to collect 100 percent of impact fees requested by local service districts. There are no ads …

Kent City Council to consider changes to Transportation Impact Fee
PNW Local News, WA – February 25, 2011
The Kent City Council is expected to vote on several changes to its new Transportation Impact Fee ordinance at its 7 p.m. regular meeting March 1 at City Hall. Local business people and city staff raised questions about the ordinance after the Council adopted it …

Muni’s latest tax options are pipe dreams
San Francisco Examiner, CA – February 25, 2011
Up against a projected $1.6 billion deficit over the next 20 years, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency concluded it must bring in an extra $50 million each year, while also cutting annual spending by $30 million. It is unlikely to surprise many that SFMTA …

Ketchum faced with impact-fee dilemma
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, ID – February 24, 2011
Ketchum consultant Randy Young gave city leaders two options for updating impact fees to pay for capital projects planned over the next five years: either decrease the fees by 4 percent for residences and 8 percent for the average commercial building or increase them by …

Fee cut’s effect on Pasco schools
MyFox Tampa Bay, FL – February 24, 2011
The financial lifeline offered to Pasco County homebuilders could mean money problems for the already cash-strapped Pasco County School District. Tuesday, county commissioners agreed to massive cuts in the impact fees developers pay when they complete …

As Visalia city fees drop, subdivisions rise
Visalia Times-Delta, CA – February 24, 2011
Local builders see a glimmer of hope that Visalia’s housing market can finally restart after years in the doldrums. The optimism stems from reduced builders’ fees, the benefits of a county tax for road improvements and a sign ordinance to help builders promote …

City of Surprise audit details errors
Arizona Republic, AZ – February 24, 2011
Surprise released an audit Wednesday detailing its misspending of millions of dollars to build a sleek City Hall complex and revealing improper handling of bond funds. Much of the 126-page report focuses on nearly $73 million that was improperly used to pay for the …

Residents pay fees, developers get expensive gifts
Tampabay.com, FL – February 23, 2011
As I opened the Wednesday Pasco Times I had a reality check. The headlines touted the action of our Pasco commissioners who want to give developers a gift by cutting impact fees on new construction and to the left the story was about paying a park fee or getting …

Impact Fee Challenges in Florida: Legislature Moving to Neutralize Local Governments
FlaglerLive.com, FL – February 23, 2011
Attempting to render moot a legal challenge, a House panel on Wednesday passed a measure to re-enact provisions of a 2009 law that makes it more difficult for local governments to impose impact fees for new development. The proposed committee bill …

Brevard County considers fee-freeze extension
Florida Today, FL – February 22, 2011
Space Coast leaders may extend a transportation impact-fee freeze to try to “preserve and promote employment in the real estate development industry” during the lingering economic recession. On March 5, 2009, the Brevard County Commission enacted a two-year …

Impact fee cuts hurt Pasco school district
Tampabay.com, FL – February 22, 2011
In the name of job creation, Pasco commissioners gave short shrift to the county’s largest employer – the public school system. As part of an economic development strategy that has been a near universal flop elsewhere, commissioners Tuesday took the first …

Berkeley City Council Fails to Pass Controversial Resolutions
Berkeley Daily Planet, CA – February 22, 2011
Last Tuesday the Berkeley City Council discussed open government, Bradley Manning, the Affordable Housing Impact Fee, and PG&E’s pipelines in Berkeley. Council voted unanimously to adopt the first reading of the Open Government Ordinance, with a second reading …

County passes revised impact fees, but some faces aren’t smiling
Citrus Daily, FL – February 22, 2011
What started as a discussion on Tuesday surrounding adoption of a revised impact fee ordinance soon grew into a meeting dominated by the Citrus County School District. The heart of the issue was over the interpretation of the consultant about funding for the school …

Pasco County commissioners endorse slashing impact fees
Tampabay.com – February 22, 2011
Citing a depressed home building industry, county commissioners agreed Tuesday to a major cut in the fees developers pay for services such as roads, schools and parks. Commissioners unanimously endorsed cutting so-called impact fees by at least $8,500 on a …

Leaders hope slashing impact fee will help Pasco business
ABC Action News, FL – February 21, 2011
Cyndi Castle is proud to be one of the few women around who can install an air conditioning system. “I’m one of the guys now. Plus I carry this six inch blade with me, so it tends to help,” said Castle who works for Progressive Air Systems. When the construction …

Pasco agrees to cut impact fees
MyFox Tampa Bay, FL – February 21, 2011
A long line formed outside the Pasco County Administration Building more than two hours before the doors opened for Tuesday’s commission meeting. “We are tired of these crushing taxes these crushing impact fees,” Jim Deitch told the crowd. Deitch runs …

City considers changing impact-fee rates
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, ID – February 18, 2011
Ketchum is considering increasing its impact fees for fire and wastewater but decreasing those for parks, police, streets and water. Impact fees are charged to new development for its additional burdens on city services, such as increased wear to streets or more …

Cherokee County to restore full impact fees
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA – February 17, 2011
Cherokee County plans to start charging full price again for its deeply discounted building impact fees — but will phase in the increase over the next year and a half. The County Commission approved the move this week. At the height of the development boom, impact fees …

City unveils impact fee payment plan
Delmarva Daily Times, MD – February 17, 2011
A payment plan for water and sewer capacity fees aimed to make the city more business friendly was approved by the City Council at its Tuesday regular meeting. The fees — one-time payments for developers meant to foot the bill for additional capacity required …

Should cities charge storm water fees in proportion to property size?
MYfoxLUBBOCK.COM, TX – February 16, 2011
Should a small mom and pop business pay the same storm water runoff fee as a big box retailer? Lubbock City Councilman Todd Klein says the current flat commercial fee should be reviewed before the city budget work sessions begin. “There ought to be some sort …

Oakwood to press ahead with impact fee study
Gainesville Times, GA – February 15, 2011
Oakwood is moving ahead with plans to study development impact fees, which were once a popular item for governments grappling with the costs of growth. The City Council voted Monday night to seek out proposals from consultants to conduct the study, a move …

Bozeman City Commission denies three-fourths of developer’s impact fee credit …
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – February 15, 2011
The Bozeman City Commission voted Monday not to grant impact fee credits for four of the six construction projects that Mitchell Development Group of Great Falls had requested. In January, the commission voted to move forward with granting credits for the …

City assesses large sewer connection impact fee on PACE Complex
Plattsmouth Journal, NE – February 15, 2011
The city of Plattsmouth has asked the Plattsmouth Board of Education to pay an impact fee of more than $40,000 in order for the school to connect the new P.A.C.E. Complex to the city’s sewer system. The city inspector’s office recently sent an e-mail to …

City drainage fee plan under development
Ultimate West U, TX – February 15, 2011
The city’s plans to Rebuild Houston have hit the road, so to speak. Approved by voters last November as Proposition 1, Rebuild Houston requires the city to switch to a pay-as-you-go method of funding street and drainage projects and will impose a new drainage fee …

Impact fee waiver in Cape Coral to face vote
The News-Press, FL – February 15, 2011
A proposed road impact fee waiver to promote business development also could mean less money for future road projects in Cape Coral. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal Feb. 28. Meanwhile, staff has been asked to get more details about how …

Public hearing for proposed impact fee waiver Feb. 28
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL – February 14, 2011
A public hearing date of Feb. 28 has been set for a proposed waiver of change of use impact fees on existing construction. Assistant City Manager Carl Schwing said the move, if adopted, will be the first in a “series” of ordinances to be brought forth by the city’s Economic …

Oakwood council discusses impact fees, new roadway
Access North Georgia, GA – February 14, 2011
The Oakwood City Council Monday night authorized the city staff to solicit proposals from consultants to conduct a citywide development impact fee to fund capital projects. The staff and the development impact fee advisory committee are to return with a …

City considering new business incentives
NBC2 News, FL – February 14, 2011
The Cape Coral City Council will discuss a proposal to waive road impact fees for businesses that move into an empty storefront or commercial building. The fee waiver could save business owners thousands of dollars. Cape Coral’s residential real estate market …

Twin Falls council rejects impact fee hike
Twin Falls Times-News, ID – February 10, 2011
The Twin Falls City Council declined to raise impact fees on parts of Falls Avenue East and Eastland Drive, opting not to add hundreds of dollars to the cost of building a nearby single-family home. The decision came during a late-running Monday meeting that didn’t …

New homeowners may get $2000 fee rebate
Lewiston Sun Journal, ME – February 9, 2011
Owners of houses built within the past seven years could be receiving $2,000 checks in the mail in the next few months following the Board of Selectmen’s vote Monday amending the town’s development impact fee schedule. “This will affect the owners of 106 properties, …

Commissioner’s flip-flop on impact fees is misguided
Tampabay.com, FL – February 9, 2011
Commissioner Jack Mariano is aiming in the wrong direction. Just five months after correctly opposing a plan to cut county impact fees, Mariano now sees such a strategy as an appropriate way to stimulate the Pasco economy. It is a misguided flip-flop. Mariano had …

Commissioners hear impact fee study
Savannah Morning News, GA – February 8, 2011
Whether impact fees are going up, down – or even away – is a question commissioners soon may answer after a workshop on the issue was held at last week’s regular meeting. Impact fees are a method of funding infrastructure needed because of a community’s …

Chardon Council to consider revising home builder deposits
News-Herald.com, OH – February 8, 2011
Chardon leaders are continuing their efforts to reduce home construction costs. City Council on Thursday will consider an ordinance amending rules for construction deposits for single-family and two-family dwellings and residential additions. If approved, …

New West Deer businesses to get tax break
Tarentum Valley News Dispatch, PA – February 5, 2011
West Deer officials hope to bring in new business by waiving all road maintenance-related fees levied against new businesses this year. Three joint transportation impact “trip” fees — averaging about $350 per trip — are part of a joint agreement with Indiana Township …

Developer seeks relief from impact fees
Belgrade News, MT – February 4, 2011
The developer of a 343-lot subdivision south of Belgrade is looking to nix county-imposed impact fee requirements if it finishes all road improvements by this fall, including the installation of a traffic signal at Jackrabbit and Valley Center roads. Mike Stewart, developer of …

Issaquah updates impact fees to match inflation
Issaquah Press, WA – February 4, 2011
The city has updated impact fees to adjust for inflation. The affected areas include fees for government buildings, fire, parks, police and transportation. The city updates the fees each year. Per the City Council, the city updates the fees updated annually to avoid …

Developer opposes impact fee cut?
Gulf Coast Business Review, FL – February 2, 2011
Sarasota County government’s proposal to cut road impact fees 50% may face a challenge from an unexpected direction: A major developer in Palmer Ranch landowner Hugh Culverhouse. That’s because a lower fee will stretch out the reimbursements for road …

County favors reduced impact fees
St. Augustine Record, FL – February 2, 2011
The St. Johns County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to support a version of its updated impact fee schedule that lowers commercial fees an average of 27.8 percent but keeps residential impact fees flat. County officials hope that lowered fees will …

VIDEO: Hoffmann’s Hawaii Ciunty plastic bag reduction, impact fees
Big Island Video News, HI – February 2, 2011
The Hawaii County Council held a series of committee meetings in Hilo on Tuesday. The big news of the day: the Committee on Environmental Management finally gave a positive recommendation to a plastic bag reduction bill. Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann …

County Commission, School Board hold meetings today
St. Augustine Record, FL – February 1, 2011
The St. Johns County School Board will hold a workshop meeting at 8:30 a.m. today to discuss issues including possible changes in impact fees, the Race to the Top application and the district’s safety plan. The St. Johns County School Board will hold a workshop …

Commission likes new impact fee ordinance
Citrus Daily, FL – February 1, 2011
The Citrus County Commission likes what’s in the new impact fee ordinance that will take effect after June 1. That’s the date when a period of suspended transportation impact fees will end, and a new impact fee structure will then take effect once the county …

School district may seek impact fee hike
St. Augustine Record, FL – February 1, 2011
The St. Johns County School District plans to seek an increase in the impact fees it gets for new houses constructed in the county to help pay the cost of new schools. During a workshop session Tuesday, the School Board discussed seeking a nearly 41 percent …

Impact fee moratorium push stalls
The Ledger, FL – January 31, 2011
I see the rush to get rid impact fees in hopes that it will encourage some developer to invest money if they can get out of paying their fair share for clogging the roads or the parks or the emergency response system may be losing steam. I noticed that officials in …

Impact fees on agenda at Waimea meeting
Hawaii 24/7 – January 31, 2011
“Would I have to pay an impact fee if I built a dog house on my lot?” Don’t laugh! It’s a legitimate concern raised by a Hawaii Island resident recently during a discussion about what impact fees would mean to Hawaii County. The answer: No! But questions will be …

Our Views: Paying for roads
Florida Today, FL – January 30, 2011
Emergency measures make sense in times of emergency. That’s the situation for Brevard County leaders trying to spur the economy and create jobs.  County commissioners are taking a reasonable step if they vote as expected early next month to extend a two-year …

Our view: Impact fee plan: Lower commercial fees, keep residential flat
St. Augustine Record, FL – January 30, 2011
On paper, the solution to St. Johns County’s desire to increase its commercial tax base is simple and is proposed as two options: A) Reduce the impact fees on commercial construction and increase residential fees by approximately 32 percent, or B) keep …

Editorial: Impact Fee Debate Shows Backward Thinking on Growth Objectives
The Bradenton Times, FL – January 29, 2011
This week, both the Manatee and Sarasota County Commissions voted in favor of developers getting a half-off deal for road impact fees on new construction. The votes served to renew debate between those who advocate smart growth and others who view …

Viewpoint: School impact fees needed in Santa Rosa County
Pensacola News Journal, FL – January 29, 2011
A recent PNJ article indicates that the Santa Rosa County School District is in violation of the Florida class size amendment and could face a penalty of $318,000. How could this happen in our county when Escambia County’s schools are in compliance? The answer …

Kissimmee wants to maintain impact fees
Orlando Sentinel, FL – January 29, 2011
Kissimmee Commissioners have decided not to implement an impact-fee moratorium on new commercial construction similar to one adopted recently by Osceola County. Staff advised commissioners that it would be hard to make up for the $1.3 million in revenue …

More than $1.5 million in impact fees collected
Martinsburg Journal, WV – January 28, 2011
Jefferson County collected $1,564,678 in impact fees during 2010, according to the Annual Report on Impact Fees presented to the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday. Mark Schiavone, the county’s impact fee coordinator and department of capital …

Sarasota reduces road impact fees
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL – January 27, 2011
Road impact fees for the county will be cut in half for two years in an effort to boost the struggling home building industry. On Wednesday, the County Commission voted 4-1 to reduce the fees on building permits issued before Feb. 1, 2013. To remain qualified, a project …

Florence plans new ways to spur downtown development
TriValley Central, AZ – January 27, 2011
The town no longer automatically exempts the downtown area and North Florence from impact fees, but plans to provide other incentives for development. The Town Council unanimously gave final approval to an ordinance to eliminate the town’s impact fee …

Impact fee changes explored
St. Augustine Record, FL – January 26, 2011
St. Johns County’s residential impact fees should be higher, and commercial and industrial fees set lower, according to a study released Tuesday by James C. Nicholas Ph.D., a University of Florida emeritus professor of law, economics and urban planning. St. …

Commission OKs impact fee reduction
Bradenton Herald, FL – January 26, 2011
Stoked by a glowing report on job creation, the Manatee County Commission on Tuesday vowed to extend incentives for developers who build new homes and businesses here. Commissioners voted 5-2 to authorize the drafting of two ordinances that would extend the …

Commissioners Approve Draft Ordinances Extending Impact Fee Reductions
The Bradenton Times, FL – January 26, 2011
After a lengthy discussion and mostly civil debate at Tuesday’s regular meeting, County Commissioners approved a motion (5-2) to have County Administrator Ed Hunzeker draft ordinances to extend the current two year county and education impact fee reductions …

City Council miffed about the TIFs
Lake Chelan Mirror, WA – January 26, 2011
Consultant, Perry Shea made a presentation to the Chelan City Council members Jan. 13 asking them to consider adopting a Traffic Impact Fee to help fund $3.2 million worth of traffic safety projects. While most council members understood the need to collect fees …

Could changes be coming to Kent’s traffic impact fees?
PNW Local News, WA – January 26, 2011
It may not feel like a battle won, but for the Kent business community, a meeting Monday at Kent City Hall may have felt at least like a hurdle cleared. The meeting, attended by city staff, local business people and the City Council’s Economic Community …

Odenton Should Have Its Own Impact Fee Zone, Leaders Say
Patch, MD – January 26, 2011
Local businesses and community leaders will ask the county to shrink the transportation impact fee zone around Odenton to ensure that money raised from new development in town goes back to road upgrades nearby. The West Anne Arundel County Chamber …

Impact fee waived to lure businesses to downtown
Delta County Independent, CO – January 26, 2011
During the Jan. 20 Cedaredge Town Council meeting the trustees approved Ordinance 2011-2, to revise the Street and Circulation Impact Fee Regulation, effectively removing the street circulation impact fees in the B-1 zoning area (W. Main St.) as an incentive to …

Impact fee cuts gain traction
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL – January 25, 2011
Governments that long relied on impact fees charged to developers are backing off from charging the fees as a way to stimulate construction and the economy. Developers could get a break on impact fees for another two years in Manatee County and may …

Sunday exclusive: Southwest Florida attitude shift helps business
The News-Press, FL – January 25, 2011
The recession has hobbled Southwest Florida’s construction industry and inflated unemployment, but it has also encouraged local governments to slash bureaucracy and fees for businesses able to grow. From Cape Coral to Naples, governments are taking a more …

Environmental group opposes reduced impact fees
Bradenton Herald, FL – January 25, 2011
A local environmental watchdog group warns Manatee County will be a “less desirable place to live” if the county commission approves a plan to extend impact fee reductions. Manasota-88, a group of volunteer activists based in Nokomis, sent a letter to county …

City council decision on impact fees
The Spokesman Review, WA – January 25, 2011
Taxes on new development will be significantly lower than proposed thanks to a last-minute decision by the Spokane City Council. With a 4-2 vote, the council on Monday approved impact fees to pay for street projects expected to alleviate traffic congestion. Last …

Bellingham will lower developers’ fees if they can reduce traffic impacts
Bellingham Herald, WA – January 25, 2011
Developers will get breaks on transportation impact fees if they build in some urban locations and reduce the traffic to and from their projects. The City Council on Monday, Jan. 24, voted 5-2, with Michael Lilliquist and Jack Weiss opposed, to approve the transportation …

County impact fee workshop tomorrow
Historic City News, FL – January 24, 2011
Within the next 60 days, Historic City News is anticipating that the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will adopt “impact fee” structures associated with findings made in a recent study completed by Dr. James Nicholas of the University of Florida. The …

Midlothian renews growth incentives
Waxahachie Daily Light, TX – January 24, 2011
Last year, Midlothian became the first and perhaps only community in North Texas to waive all residential impact fees as a means of jumpstarting its housing market. Encouraged by the program’s success in 2010, at its Jan. 11 meeting, the city council voted …

County Commission workshop on impact fees set for Feb. 1
Citrus Daily, FL – January 24, 2011
The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners will hold a special public workshop on impact fees on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 5:01 p.m., in the county commission chambers at the County Courthouse, in Inverness. Interested members of the public may appear at the …

Lower impact fees could continue
Bradenton Herald, FL – January 23, 2011
A reduction in the fees levied on builders for new construction is doing its job jolting the Manatee County economy, developers and government officials say. But they insist that job is far from finished. Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker will propose to county …

Impact fee workshop scheduled
St. Augustine Record, FL – January 22, 2011
The St. Johns County Board of Commissioners and the St. Johns County School Board will hold a joint workshop Tuesday to consider a recent report on impact fees, according to a press release. The St. Johns County Board of Commissioners and the St. Johns County …

County’s new plan could replace road impact fees with higher fees
Gainesville Sun, FL – January 22, 2011
The last piece of the puzzle in Alachua County’s plan to shift future growth toward densely built multi-use developments also is the piece most likely to cause waves within the area’s building industry. For future development, it would do away with transportation …

Trustees consider suspending impact fee to attract business
Delta County Independent, CO – January 20, 2011
During the Jan. 13 work session, the Cedaredge trustees discussed at length the suspension of its street circulation impact fees for businesses located in the B-1 Zoning area (W. Main St.) as an incentive to encourage new businesses to consider the downtown …

Lake Wales to pay for impact fee study
News Chief, FL – January 20, 2011
Lake Wales will soon have a new study to redefine its impact fees. On Tuesday night, the Lake Wales City Commission voted 3-2 to pay $24,975 to Clarion Associates of Chapel Hill, N.C., to do a new impact fee study for the city. Commissioners Michael Carter and John Paul …

City council debates changes to local impact fees
Mountain Home News, ID – January 20, 2011
Looking to encourage future construction in the Mountain Home area, the city council debated proposed changes to fees included in local building permits. During its Jan. 10 meeting, the city council looked at three proposals involving the city’s impact fees that could make…

Bartow’s Impact Fee Vote Is Postponed
The Ledger, FL – January 20, 2011
City commissioners in Bartow are postponing a decision on a proposal to suspend impact fees until the economy rebounds. During a work session this week, commissioners said the burden for funding additional services that are mandated by growth would …

Kingman Council to consider impact of development fees tonight
Kingman Daily Miner, AZ – January 18, 2011
The Kingman City Council is scheduled to discuss the city’s development investment fee policy at its meeting this afternoon, reopening a can of worms that has become increasingly contentious since the onset of the nationwide recession several years ago. It’s …

First Coast’s developers call for moratorium on impact fees to boost jobs
Jacksonville Times Union, FL – January 17, 2011
For years, builders gritted their teeth when they wrote big-dollar checks for impact fees and fair share payments assessed by local governments. The growth-management programs generated money for government to build roads, schools and parks. When the …

Sewer settlement going to judge for OK
KeysNet, FL – January 15, 2011
The Marathon City Council on Tuesday approved the parameters of a final settlement in a long-running sewer-fees lawsuit with the Key RV mobile-home park. The two sides reached court-mediated settlement on Sept. 21 and at least 60 percent of the park’s 201 homeowners …

AP tables water readiness fee idea
News-Sun, FL – January 14, 2011
Avon Park’s city council voted 5-0 to indefinitely table the final reading of an ordinance that would charge each resident a “readiness to serve” fee for water that is turned off and asked staff to come back with more numbers about costs concerning water hook-ups …

City to give developer around $1 million in impact fee credit for building sewer lines
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – January 12, 2011
The city of Bozeman plans to reimburse a Great Falls developer between $600,000 and $1.1 million for building the Huffine Lane and Fowler Avenue intersection and installing a sewer line to serve the area.  The Bozeman City Commission voted 4-1 Monday night to …

Impact fee suspension recommended
Bizjournals.com, FL – January 12, 2011
At its Jan. 11 meeting, the School Board of Orange County recommended the Orange County Board of County Commissioners suspend an automatic impact fee increase due to take effect Jan. 28. The current school impact fee structure automatically increases …

West Dundee looking at costs savings for it, builders
Chicago Sun-Times, IL – January 12, 2011
The village board this week discussed ways to save money for both the village and home builders. The first item up for debate was the possible integration of police departments for the villages of East and West Dundee and Sleepy Hollow. The villages last week got …

Lincoln impact fee frozen for fourth year
Lincoln Journal Star, NE – January 10, 2011
Impact fees — the money builders pay to offset the cost of providing city services to new subdivisions — has not gone up for four years. The Lincoln City Council voted unanimously Monday to keep the fees at the 2007 level, acknowledging the continuing drop in new …

City officials consider impact fee
The Wenatchee World Online, WA – January 10, 2011
New homes built around the Broadview subdivision at the western edge of Wenatchee many soon require a new $5,000 impact fee to pay for future road improvements. The city is moving forward with plans to impose its first-ever developer impact fees. Bridgeport …

City to consider developer’s more than $1 million impact fee credit request
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT – January 9, 2011
The Great Falls development company that built Rosauers Supermarket and the surrounding Bozeman Gateway subdivision wants more than $1 million from the city of Bozeman for road and sewer line improvements it made when it built the shopping center…

Street work may increase cost of building
Albany Demcrat Herald, NY – January 8, 2011
If the city council agrees, the cost of building a house in Albany would rise in order to help pay for improvements in the citywide street system. The council meets at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at City Hall. Among the agenda items are a public hearing and …

Local, state officials must tackle growth problems
The State, SC – January 7, 2011
While it’s necessary to make road improvements such as a planned $12 million project to address growth-driven traffic woes around the town of Lexington, it’s even more important for officials to do a better job of planning. In short, they must make better …

Wakulla County Residents Challenge County Impact Fees
WCTV, FL – January 7, 2011
Some folks in Wakulla County are challenging the mandatory impact fees needed for both residential and commercial properties in the county. Lucy Ward, who lives in Wakulla County and is against the impact fees says, “I think these impact fees is what’s …

New infill incentive district approved
TriValley Central, AZ – January 6, 2011
The town’s practice the last few years of encouraging building in the town core and North Florence by exempting those areas from impact fees is ending, to be replaced by new rules to consider such waivers case-by-case. The Town Council passed a resolution establishing …

Lathrop imposing fee to pay for Roth & I-5 interchange work
Manteca, CA – January 6, 2011
Developers in North Lathrop are going to have to dig a little deeper when it comes to covering the cost of municipal services that their projects impact. On Monday the Lathrop City Council approved a transportation impact fee for the northern portion of Lathrop …

Developers to be assessed impact fees for new schools
Maui News, HI – January 6, 2011
Landowners who want to build new housing units in Central, South and West Maui will soon have to pay new “impact fees” for the construction of new school facilities. The state Department of Education announced Wednesday that it would immediately begin …

Lindon tables discussion of new impact fees
Daily Herald, UT – January 6, 2011
After much discussion and debate, including negative feedback from Lindon residents and businesses, Lindon City Council members voted to table the proposed public safety impact fee and will not discuss or consider the issue until further notice. Council members …

Dickinson Impact Fees
KFYR-TV, ND – January 5, 2011
Someone has to pay for all the water and sewer connections, along with roads, curbs and gutters in Dickinson`s new housing developments. During the last oil boom, the city covered much of the cost and got burned when the boom went bust and people moved …

City approves impact fees
Dickinson Press, ND – January 5, 2011
A new, high-end development is one step closer to coming to fruition and two private landowners will be special assessed thousands of dollars after the Dickinson City Commission approved an impact fee program application during a meeting Monday evening …

Development fees rise in Arundel for 2011
Bizjournals.com, MD – January 5, 2011
The cost of building went up significantly in Anne Arundel County with the new year, as a new set of fees charged to developers goes into effect after two years in the works. Jan. 1 marked the third step in an overhaul of the county’s impact fee program, put into place back …

Goldwater Institute seeks to overturn impact-fee ruling
Arizona Republic, AZ – January 4, 2011
The Goldwater Institute is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a November Court of Appeals ruling that validated Mesa’s practice of assessing new-home buyers a fee that is used to enhance the city’s museums and cultural programs. The Appeals Court …

Planning Board members nix impact fee ordinance
Seacoastonline.com. – January 4, 2011
Planning Board members took time to consider a citizens petition proposing implementation of an impact fee at their final meeting of the year. The petition was filed by Albert Abramson and other registered voters for inclusion in the 2011 Town Warrant. …

Popular Zephyrhills flea market trying to resolve fee dispute
Tbo.com, FL – January 3, 2011
The owners of a popular flea market say they’re working with city officials to resolve a dispute over unpaid fees that have the city threatening to shut down the market. The city council is scheduled to vote at its Jan. 10 meeting on whether to revoke the conditional …

Burgaw officials consider outcome of lifting of impact fee
StarNewsOnline.com, SC – January 2, 2011
Lifting impact fees for a year may help one proposed housing project in Burgaw, but town commissioners are considering whether such a moratorium is best for the town. Former county Commissioner Norwood Blanchard requested that the town waive impact fees for …